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Buoyage system

In 1976 IALA, wich is the International Association of Lighthouse Authorities, unified the world's buoyage system putting an end to the 30 dissimilar systems existing at the time. This system was adopted internationally, and currently consiste of six types of buoys or marks: lateral marks, cardinal marks, isolated danger marks, safe water marks, special marks and wreck marks, wich were added in 2002. Here we are going to study the first five types of buoys.

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Each type of buoy has a specific meaning, wich is like a "message" to the sailor.

Here is a brief description of each buoy's main purpose:

-Lateral marks indicate the edges of a channel.

-Cardinal marks indicate the direction of safe waters at a dangerous spot.

-Safe water marks indicate deep waters and the open end of a channel.

-Isolated danger marks indicated a hazard to shipping.

-Special marks indicate an area used for special purposes.

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How can you distinguish different types of buoy?

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How can you distinguish different types of buoy?

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All marks within the IALA system are distinguished by: shape, colour, topmark and light.

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Lateral marks indicate the port-hand side and the starboard-hand side of a channel or harbour. In the system region A, port-hand side marks are red, while starboard-hand marks are green. Lateral marks divided into two regions (A or B): The countries that use the red colour for the left-hand sign or portside mark are included in Region A.

The countries that use the green colour for the portside mark are included in Region B.

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Cardinal marks indicate the position of hazard and the direction of safe water. They can be spar or pillar-shaped and they are always black and yellow in colour. Their topmark consist of two black cones arranged in different position. At night they flash a white light. Their light consist of a sequence of quick or very quick white flashes (Q. or V.Q. flashes), whose number gives the clock-face position of cardinal mark. A North cardinal buoy is black over yellow, its topmark is two black cones pointing upwards, the North mark has a continue quick white flash. An East cardinal buoy has two black bands with a yellow band in the middle, as a topmark it has two black cones with cones with their groundwork together, the East mark has three white flashes every 10 seconds. A South cardinal buoy is yellow over black, its topmark is two black cones pointing downwards, the South mark has six plus 1 long white flashes every 10 seconds. A West cardinal buoy has two yellow bands with a black band in the middle, as a topmark it has two black cones with their tips together, the West mark has nine white flashes every 10 seconds.

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Safe marks are spherical, pillar or spar-shaped. They are red with white vertical stripes. The topmark is a red sphere. At night they flash a white light, it is a single long flash every 10 seconds (LGI 10s).

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Isolated danger marks are either pillar or spar-shaped. They are divided in colour with one or more horizontal red and black bands. Their topmark is two blacks spheres. At night they flash a white light, in groups of two flashes (Gp FI 2) with intervals of 5 seconds.

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Special marks indicate an area used for special purposes, such as a waterskiing area, or the position of pipelines and sewerage pipes. Special marks are painted yellow and they have a yellow X topmark. Their light is also yellow, and it consists of one quick flash every 5 seconds.