Aids to Navigation

Aids to Navigation
 Aids to Navigation (AToN)
Aids to Navigation are placed along coasts and navigable waters as guides to mark
safe water and to assist mariners in determining their position in relation to land and
hidden dangers. Each aid to navigation is used to provide specific information. An aid
to navigation (AToN) is any sort of marker which aids the vessels in navigation; the
term is most commonly used to refer to nautical or aviation travel. Common types of
such aids include lighthouses, buoys, light vessels and beacons.

According to the glossary of terms in the US Coast Guard Light list, an Aid to
Navigation is any device external to a vessel or aircraft specifically intended to
assist navigators in determining their position or safe course, or to warn them of
dangers or obstructions to navigation. Several aids to navigation are usually used
together to form a local aid to navigation system that helps the mariner follow safe
channels. Such aids to navigation also provide a continuous system of charted marks
for coastal piloting.
Aids to Navigation
Types of Aids to Navigation :
The term "aids to navigation" encompasses a wide range of floating and fixed
objects (fixed meaning attached to the bottom or shore), and consist primarily of :

•Buoys - floating objects that are anchored to the bottom. Their distinctive shapes
and colors indicate their purpose and how to navigate around them

•Beacons -Which are structures that are permanently fixed to the sea-bed or land.
They range from structures such as light houses, to single-pile poles. Most beacons
have lateral or non-lateral aids attached to them.

Both Buoys and Beacons may have lights attached, and may have a sound making
device such as a bell or horn. Both Buoys and Beacons may be called "marks”
Light House
• A lighthouse is a tower, building, or
another type of structure designed to
emit light from a system of lamps and
lenses and to serve as aids to navigation
for navigators at sea or on inland
waterways.
• Lighthouses mark dangerous coastlines,
hazardous shoals, reefs , rocks, and safe
entries to harbors; they also assist in
aerial navigation . Once widely used, the
number of operational lighthouses has
declined due to the expense of
maintenance and has become
uneconomical since the advent of
cheaper and often much more effective
electronic navigational systems.
Light Vessel
Large Automated Navigational Buoy (LANBY)
RADAR Buoy : RACON
RADAR Buoy : RAMARK
Navigational Buoys
Buoys on Charts
AIS : Automatic Identification System
AIS : Automatic Identification System
The AIS System : The AIS system works with VHF system. The AIS antenna are situated on the Monkey Island of
a vessel and data are exchanged within vessels and all data will be displayed on the monitor.

Data Exchanged by AIS system

• IMO number
• Name and Call Sign
• Length and Beam
• Type of ship
• Ship’s position
• Present time
• Course Over Ground (COG)
• Ship’s draught
• Type of cargo
• Destination and Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA)
 AIS
• Technology allows aids to navigation to be in the form of an electronic
layer on a nautical chart - an Automatic Identification System (AIS) mark.

• Background to AIS aids to navigation AIS aids to navigation can be used to

mark hazards or channels. They will appear as symbols on the vessel’s AIS
receiver and can be displayed on a vessel’s AIS, RADAR & ECDIS. The
attributes associated with the symbols give the details of the hazards that
are being marked. There are three types of AIS aids to navigation: Real,
Synthetic and Virtual AIS.
Synthetic & Virtual AIS
The Synthetic AIS : The Buoy is physically present but the AIS signal is transmitted
from Shore AIS tower and this will show the buoy with all AIS information on ship’s
AIS , RADAR or ECDIS.

The Virtual AIS

• A land transmitter will transmit signal for virtual AtoN
• This virtual AtoN will appear on AIS, RADAR and ECDIS screen and mark the
position of AtoN.
• Vessels can safely navigate using this AtoN displayed on AIS, RADAR or ECDIS.
• Onshore or Offshore Virtual AIS Beacons (Transmitter) will transmit multiple
signals and it can create many AtoN.
• One transmitter can create up to 65 AtoN.
• The minimum required antenna height is only 7 meters.
The Virtual AIS
Navigation with Conventional Buoys
Navigation with Virtual Buoys
Advantages of Virtual AIS Buoys

• No danger of being damaged or drifted out of position.

• If AIS system is fixed on conventional buoys and if the buoy is
damaged or drifted out of position then AIS will be useless.
• THE VIRTUAL AIS SYSTEM is very special .Vessels will receive accurate
AIS information. But there will be no buoys in that place.
Advantages of Virtual AIS Buoys
• Very easy to install & maintain
• Very cost effective. Only 1 Ground transmitter can replace 65 buoys.
• No danger of being washed away by the tide, flood or Cyclones.
• No danger of being damaged by vessels or theft.
• AtoN can be added, removed, shifted or repositioned easily.
• No need for special vessel, workers, workshop. (All these are needed to
repair and maintain the conventional buoys.)
• Both AIS and Virtual AIS signals can be received by Android and iphones.
• One transmitter can provide coverage up to 50/60 miles.