IALA BOUYAGE SYSTEM

IALA (INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MARINE AIDS TO

NAVIGATION AND LIGHTHOUSE AUTHORITIES
 It is a non-profitable inter governmental organization founded
in 1957to collect and provide nautical expertise and advice.
• It has provisions to indicate or mark the following;
Sides and centerlines of navigable channels.
• Navigable channels under fixed bridges
• Natural dangers and other obstructions such as wrecks( Which
are described as “New Dangers” when newly discovered and
uncharted)
• Areas in which Navigation may be subject to regulation
• Other features of importance to Mariners.
 CARDINAL MARKS:
• These marks indicates the Navigable water for safe passage;
eg; a North Cardinal mark shows Navigable water lies North of
the mark.
• They may be used to;
• Indicate that the deepest water in an area is on the named
side of the mark.
• Indicates the safe side on which to pass a danger.
• Draw attention to a feature in a channel such as bend,
junction, bifurcation or end of a shoal.
• North Cardinal Buoy:
• Safe water lies North of the buoy.
• Shape – Pillar or spar. Two Cones points up.
• Color - Black band above Yellow Band.
• Light – Uninterrupted Q or VQ.
• South Cardinal Buoy:
• Safe water lies South of the buoy.
• Shape - Pillar or spar. Two Cones points down.
• Color - Black band below Yellow Band.
• Light - Q or VQ 6 flashes, plus one long flash.
• East Cardinal Buoy:
• Safe water lies Easy of the buoy.
• Shape - Pillar or spar. Two Cones with bases together.
• Color - Black bands above & below Yellow Band.
• Light – Q or VQ 3 flashes.
• West Cardinal Buoy:
• Safe water lies West of the buoy.
• Shape – Pillar or spar. Two Cones with apexes together.
• Color - Black bands with Yellow Bands above and below.
• Light - Q or VQ 9 flashes.
 The IALA BOUYAGE SYSTEM is divided into two regions;
 REGION A : Countries in Africa, Most of Asian countries,
Australia, Europe & India.
 REGION B: Region B covers whole of the Americas, Japan,
South Korea and the Philippines.
 Lateral Marks:
 As per IALA Buoyage system, Lateral marks, used in
conjunction with a “conventional direction of buoyage”,
generally employed for well defined channels.
 These marks indicate the port and starboard sides of the route
to be followed.
 In Region A - While entering harbour, Green to starboard and
Red to Port.
 While coming out of harbour, Red to Starboard and Green to
Port.
 In Region B – While entering harbour, Red to Starboard and
Green to Port.
 While coming out of harbour, Green to Starboard and Red to
Port.
 The purpose of lateral buoys in the IALA buoyage system is to
mark the port and starboard sides of navigable channels.
 Starboard Hand Buoy:
 Color- Green.
 Shape – Conical, Pillar or Spar.
 Top Mark – (If fitted)Single green cone pointing upward.
 A starboard hand buoy marks the starboard (right) side of a
channel or the location of a danger which must be kept on the
vessel’s starboard (right) side when proceeding in the
upstream direction.
 A starboard hand buoy is coloured Green , displays
identification letter(s) and even number(s) .
 A Port hand buoy marks the Port (left) side of a channel or the
location of a danger
 which must be kept on the vessel’s Port (left) side when
proceeding in the upstream direction.
 A Port hand buoy is coloured Red, displays identification
letter(s) and odd number(s) .
 Port Hand Buoy:
 Color- Red.
 Shape – Cylindrical(Can), Pillar or Spar.
 Top Mark – (If fitted)Single red can pointing upward.

 Preferred Channel Buoy:
 Preferred channel buoys are used to indicate the preferred
channel when a channel splits into a major and minor channel:
 At the point where the channel divides, when proceeding in
the conventional direction of buoyage, a Preferred channel is
indicated by a modified starboard or Port Hand Lateral Mark.
 color.
 For example, a preferred channel to starboard is red with a
green band, while a preferred channel to port is green with a
red band.
 Preferred Channel to Starboard:
 Shape – Can, Pillar or Spar.
 Color – Red with one Green Broad Band.
 Top mark (If fitted) – Single Red Can Light – FL (2+1) R.
Composite Group Fl (2+1)
 Preferred Channel to Port:
 Shape – Conical, Pillar or Spar.
 Color – Green with one Red Broad Band.
 Top mark (If fitted) – Single Green Cone pointing upward.
 Light – FL(2+1) G
 Isolated Danger Marks:
 An isolated danger mark is a sea mark that indicates a hazard
to shipping, such as a partially submerged rock or wreck, that
is surrounded by generally safe water.
 It is marked by the following features:
• Color: Black with one or more red horizontal bands
• Top mark: Two black balls
• Light: When lit, it displays a white light
• flashing in a pattern of two flashes
• Isolated danger marks are used in maritime pilotage and are
recognizable by their black and red bands and top-mark of two
black balls.
• Color: Black and Red
• Shape: Pillar or Spar
• Top Mark: Two Black Spheres
• Light (When Fitted): Group-Flashing FL(2)
•

• An isolated danger mark shows a specific danger – for

example, a wreck – surrounded by generally safe water.
• Safe Water Marks:
• Safe Water marks serve to indicate that there is navigable
water all round the mark and do not mark a danger.
• Safe water marking can be used for fairway, mid-channel,
centre line or landfall marks.
• This mark may also be used to indicate channel entrance, port or
estuary approach, or landfall.
• Color: Red and White
• Shape: Spherical, Pillar or Spar
• Top Mark: Red Sphere
• Light (When Fitted):
• White Isophase(Iso) or Occulting (Occ) or Long Flashing every
10s(LFL 10s) or Morse Code (A).

•
•

 Special Mark Buoy:

 A special mark buoy is a yellow buoy that indicates a special
area or feature, such as a military exercise zone, spoil ground,
or a channel within a channel.
 Special mark buoys are not primarily intended to help with
navigation.
 Color: Yellow
 Shape: Optional
 Top Mark: Yellow Cross (Optional)
 Light (When Fitted): Yellow – any rhythm not used for white
lights. Fl.Y, FL(4) Y

 Emergency Wreck Marking Buoy:

 Is designed to provide high visual and radio aid to navigation
recognition.
 It is placed as close to the wreck as possible, or in a pattern
around the wreck, and within any other marks that may be
subsequently deployed.
 Color : Blue and Yellow
 Shape: Pillar or Spar.
 Light: Blue and Yellow alternate Flashing.
 Virtual Buoys:
 Virtual buoys are digital information objects that are displayed
on a vessel's navigation system to mark locations or hazards
without the need for physical buoys.
 They are created using Automatic Identification System (AIS)
technology and can be used for a variety of purposes,
including:
 Marking channels: Virtual buoys can mark the deepest parts of
a channel for large vessels.