Navigation and Seamanship

4.3.5. Marine buoyage system

Before 1976, there was no common buoyage system; there were about 30 different buoyage systems were in use throughout the world. Because of too many systems, confusions and misleading were resulted. During 1977, Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO) introduced common buoyage system.

There are two types of buoyage system

system A → This system is followed by Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, Gulf and some Asian countries.

System B → This is adopted in the countries such as North, Central and South America, Japan, Korea and the Philippines.

During 1980 International Association of Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) with the assistance of International Hydro graphic Organization (IHO) and Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO) combined A & B system and introduced new system called IALA Maritime Buoyage system. In this system, there are 5 types of marks which may be used in combination. The mariner can easily distinguish between these marks by readily identifiable.

Only lateral marks differ between buoyage regions A and B, where as other 4 types are common to both the region.