Buoyage systems

Lateral marks

They are used to denote the port and the starboard side of the waterway or channel. There is a division into two regions which are: IALA A - Europe, Australia, Africa, certain Asian countries; IALA B - North and South America, Japan, North and South Korea, the Philippines. In the region A, the port side of the waterway is marked with red color by day and by night, and the starboard side is marked with green color. In the region B is the opposite: the port side with green, the starboard side with red color.

A line marking the port and starboard side of the channel is defined in two ways: according to the direction of the boat toward the object coming from the open sea; according to the provisions of the competent authority in agreement with the neighboring countries.

Modified lateral marks indicate the bifurcation of the waterway, which mark the main channel as a more favorable route. Lateral marks have distinctive shapes: cylinder, pillar or a spar, together with the corresponding light indicator.

Cardinal marks

These marks denote: the deepest waters of an area on the side indicated by the mark, the safe side of a passage with regard to a certain danger, the warning of an important place in the channel.

Four quadrants are denoted with the marks of this system : north, east, south and west, and the quadrants are marked off by right directions NW-SE, NE-SE, SE-SW, SW-NW, measured from the center of the barrier. Cardinal marks have characteristic shapes of a pillar or a spar, together with the corresponding lights flashing at the intervals.

Isolated danger marks

They are set or anchored on an isolated danger or above the isolated danger of the smaller proportion which has navigable water all around it. The mark can be bypassed on all sides.

Safe water marks

This mark indicates that safe water is situated within 360 degrees, usually applicable in the labeling of the central line or of the centre of the channel.

Special marks

Special marks denote some areas or objects: marks of systems for collecting data on the open sea, marks of the places of discharge of materials, marks of military exercises, marks of cables and pipelines.

New dangers marks

New dangers for the navigation are newly discovered dangers which are not indicated yet in the appropriate nautical publications. Such dangers include both natural and artificial barriers. Mark of a new danger for the navigation is placed as close as possible to the danger or in a zone around it, within the area where another mark will be set afterward.