Bridge Watchkeeping:

LO1 Regulations for the safe

movement of vessels

Buoyage
Types of Buoy
• Lateral Mark
 Used to denote a channel or the extremities of a channel
• Cardinal Mark
 Denotes extremities of a hazard.
• Isolated Danger Mark
 Marks a danger of limited horizontal extent
• Special Mark
 Denotes special areas; recreation, outfalls, channel with a channel
etc.

• Safe Water Mark

 Navigationally significant safe water; TSS, Landfall buoys
Buoy Shapes
Spar
Pillar Sphere

Can
Cone
Barrel
Direction of Buoyage
• Clockwise round
continents and into
rivers.
• Cans to Port and
cones to starboard.
• There are two
buoyage regions, A
and B
Buoyage Regions
• Region A
• Europe, Africa, Most of Asia, Australia
• Port Buoys are Red, Starboard Buoys are Green
• Region B
• North and South America, Japan, Korea, Philippines
• Port Buoys are Green, Starboard Buoys are Red
• This effects lateral marks and special marks, and for this
reason we deal with the shape of the buoy not the
colour.

• Remember CANS to PORT, CONES to STARBOARD

Port Hand Lateral Marks (A)

• Can Be Spar, Pillar

or Can
• Top Mark is a
single, red can
• Red Light
• Rhythm is any
except 2+1
Starboard Hand Lateral Marks (A)

• Can Be Spar, Pillar

or Cone
• Top Mark is a
single, green cone
• Green Light
• Rhythm is any
except 2+1
Preferred channel to Starboard (A)

• Same as Port
lateral mark but
with green band
• Top Mark is a
single, red can
• Red Light
• Rhythm is 2+1
Preferred Channel to Port (A)

• Same as STBD
lateral mark but
with red band
• Top Mark is a
single, green cone
• Green Light
• Rhythm is 2+1
Port Hand Lateral Marks (B)

• Can Be Spar, Pillar

or Can
• Top Mark is a
single, green can
• Green Light
• Rhythm is any
except 2+1
Starboard Hand Lateral Marks (B)

• Can Be Spar, Pillar

or Cone
• Top Mark is a
single, red cone
• Red Light
• Rhythm is any
except 2+1
Preferred channel to Starboard (B)

• Same as Port
lateral mark but
with red band
• Top Mark is a
single, green can
• Green Light
• Rhythm is 2+1
Preferred Channel to Port (B)

• Same as STBD
lateral mark but
with green band
• Top Mark is a
single, red cone
• Red Light
• Rhythm is 2+1
North Cardinal Mark
• Black/Yellow
• Two Cones Apexes
pointing up
• Safe Water lies to the
North of the buoy
• White Light
• Rhythm – continuous
flashing
East Cardinal Mark
• Black/Yellow/Black
• Two Cones bases
together
• Safe Water lies to the
East of the buoy
• White Light
• Rhythm – 3 flashes
• Q 10s, VQ 5s
South Cardinal Mark
• Yellow/Black
• Two Cones Apexes
pointing down
• Safe Water lies to the
South of the buoy
• White Light
• Rhythm – 6 quick + 1
long flash
• Quick in 15s or Very
Quick in 10s
West Cardinal Mark
• Yellow/Black/Yellow
• Two Cones apexes
together
• Safe Water lies to the
West of the buoy
• White Light
• Rhythm – 9 flashes
• Q 15s, VQ 10s
 New Dangers
• Cardinal Marks are
doubled-up for
new dangers.

• Racon (D) is
sometimes fitted
to the buoy.
Isolated Danger Mark
• Black/Red Stripes
• Two black spheres in a vertical line
• White Light
• Group Flash (2)
• Safe Navigable water all around
Safe Water Marks
• Red and white
vertical stripes.
• Red Sphere
• White Light
• Morse A
• Long Flash every
10s
• Occulting
• Isophase
Special Marks

• Yellow buoy of any shape

• Yellow St. Andrews Cross
• Can and cone shaped marks to be treated as lateral
marks.
• Yellow Light
• Any Rhythm not used for a white light
ODAS Buoys
• Ocean Data Acquisition System
• Spherical
O D A S Buoy

• Marked “ODAS”
• No Topmark
• Yellow Light
• 5 flashes every 20 seconds
Emergency Wreck Marking Buoy
• Yellow and Blue vertical stripes
• Yellow vertical cross
• Signifies New Wrecks
• Yellow and Blue alternating flashing light.
• Each flash lasts for 1s with 0.5s interval
Retro-reflective Tape
• Buoys are fitted
with retro-
reflective tape to
aid identification.
Lateral Marks North Cardinal Special Mark
Preferred Channel
Regions A & B East Cardinal
Isolated Danger Mark
South Cardinal

West Cardinal Safe Water Mark