Ferries-TSS exemption?

[PaulC999]

This may be a long established practice but I have only recently noticed that cross channel ferries moving between Dover and Calais are not crossing the TSS at 90 degrees. They appear to me to be moving in a dead straight line between Dover and CA6 bouy marking the Calais approach channel. Does anyone know if these vessels have some kind of exemption or is everyone allowed a 15 degree margin of error

 

[bobfrost]

As far as I understand it the idea is to cross 'heading as at near 90 degrees as possible' so that the side of the vessel gives the greatest aspect to the traffic travelling along the zone.

15 degrees either way will change the apparent length by 1 - cos 15 so the vessel will still show over 96% of its length.

Sailing out of Dover both I and the ferries tend to head CA6 for Calais, and Varne Lightship then ZC2 for Boulogne.

As long as everyone behaves sensibly I don't think the guys at Langdon Cliff are going to get out their protractors.

In the Dover Strait most of us tend to know what we are doing and a certain amount of common sence prevails.

However, from my experience of the Solent ........................

 

[Taurus_Skipper]

Hi .

To answer your question.

NO, they are NOT exempt from the TTS rules.

Outbound ferries leave the Eastern Entrance at Dover 99.9 % of the time, they travel to near the South Goodwin light, where they change track to cross the lane, and is the same for inbound traffic....

If you listen to VHF channel 74, you will hear ferries call port control saying eg. " Port control - pride of Dover, point Alpha ". This is when they are at the South Goodwin, making a approach to Dover... if traffic is dense, you will hear " call me at one mile off ".

Having said that , the seacats seem to have a rule unto themselves /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif


Andy.

ps. Hi Bob

 

[kimhollamby]

Tacit acceptance

They shouldn't been exempt...but there has long been a tacit acceptance from authorities on both sides of the Channel that they can pinch up to 15° either side of the 90.

Have seen this for many years now down in that part of the world. With the radar facilities available down there clearly everyone knows what is going on and I've never heard of a ferry getting hauled up for it.

 

[trev]

The actual rule wording is 'as nearly as practicable at right angles to the general direction of trafic flow'.
I get rather tired of folk saying you MUST cross at right angles.

 

[boatmike]

Precisely Trev. It's like a lot of other things, people get too literal with rules and seem to have lost the ability to read. The most important one for most on this forum is "a vessel of less than 20 metres in length or a sailing vessel shall not impede the safe passage of any vessel following a traffic lane" Personally if I needed to deviate from 90 degrees to comply with this I would. I also believe that any change of course to avoid such a vessel should be made in good time and be substantial enough to be obvious to the other vessel that avoiding action is being taken. This alone may require temporary deviation from a 90 degree crossing in a sailing vessel.