Many are currently heading out to enjoy the Finnish summer on the water. The busy season of recreational boating also means more encounters between recreational boating and merchant shipping, where even one near miss is too much. Before Midsummer, it is a good idea to review the give-way rules for safe and responsible recreational boating to ensure safe traffic.
Recreational boaters give way to merchant vessels on all merchant shipping routes
Even in summer, there are plenty of passenger ships and cargo vessels sailing on the Finnish coast. To ensure that encounters with recreational boating go safely, the master of the boat should always be vigilant when travelling on merchant shipping routes. Particular attention should be paid in narrow and difficult fairways where the safe passage of merchant vessels is limited by their deep draught and slow manoeuvrability. Long safety distances to merchant vessels and recreational boaters’ give-way obligations are things that every master of the boat should bear in mind.
“A boat, including a sailboat, must give way to a ship. Merchant vessels sail in narrow and rocky fairways along very precisely defined routes. Due to their deep draught and slow manoeuvrability, they have little chance of swerving to avoid fast-moving recreational craft. Every master of a recreational craft should confidently know the give-way rules. From the perspective of those on the bridge of a merchant vessel, it is particularly important to maintain good distances. The seaworthiness of a boat does not only indicate how the vessel can cope with the sea state in terms of its structures and equipment but also that it is piloted by skilled people with sufficient knowledge and competence for the intended journey. For this reason, learn the basic skills and carefully consider your route in advance,” reminds Samu Koski, Manager of Fintraffic’s Gulf of Finland Vessel Traffic Service Centre.
Fintraffic’s Vessel Traffic Service Centre wishes everyone a safe recreational boating season!
It is the task of Fintraffic Vessel Traffic Services to ensure that both foreign trade and domestic merchant shipping is safe and uninterrupted. Our vessel traffic service centres monitor the passage of passenger ships and cargo vessels through Finland’s coastal waters 24/7, every day of the year.
