2 - IALA Buoyage System

IALA BUOYAGE
SYSTEM
IALA Buoyage System For Mariners
• The development of a uniform
system of buoyage throughout
the world was of paramount
importance for safe navigation
at sea. As traffic lights are
used to guide drivers on road,
similarly buoys and beacons
are indispensable for guiding
mariners at sea.
Imagine what would have happened
if more than one buoyage system
was in use around the world.
Different buoyage system means
different rules, in complete conflict
with one another. It would cause
confusion and lead to accidents.
With the aim of improving
navigational safety to act as a barrier
to dangers to shipping and to solve
differences of opinions, efforts were
made to establish a single set of
rules by IALA – INTERNATIONAL
ASSOCIATION OF MARINE AIDS TO
NAVIGATION AND LIGHTHOUSE
AUTHORITIES, which gave them a
choice of using red to port or red to
starboard, on a regional basis.
For the sake of maintaining uniformity in buoyage system worldwide,
IALA divided the world into two regions – Region A and Region B.
• Region A includes Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, the Gulf and
some Asian countries
• Region B comprises of North, South, Central America, Japan, Korea

and the Philippines.
NOTE:
IALA proposed a system allowing the use of lateral marks in each
region, but whereas in region A, the colour red of the Lateral
System is used to mark the port side of channels and the colour
green for the starboard side.
In region B, the colours are reversed. Regional variations do not pertain

to cardinal, isolated danger markings, safe watermarks or special
marks.
IALA buoyage system
provides six types of marks
Lateral marks
• Cardinal marks
• Isolated danger Marks
• Safe Water Marks
• Special Marks
• Emergency Wreck Marking Buoy

1. LATERAL MARKS
• the lateral marks help to indicate which side of the waterway is to be
followed. The port marks should be kept to the vessel’s left side and
starboard marks to its right.
• However, when a vessel travels downstream, the position of marks will

change accordingly, i.e. port marks on its right side while starboard marks on
its left.
• When a channel divides to form more than one way, a modified lateral mark
is then used to indicate the “preferred channel”. A preferred channel is
indicated by red and green horizontal bands on the lateral mark.
LATERAL MARKS REGION A:
PORT HAND MARKS STARBOARD HAND MARKS

COLOUR RED GREEN
BUOY CYLINDRICAL(CAN), PILLAR,
CONICAL, PILLAR, SPAR
SHAPE SPAR
SINGLE RED SINGLE GREEN CONE
TOPMARK
CYLINDER(CAN) POINTING UPWARD
LIGHT
RED GREEN
COLOUR
ANY APART FROM
LIGHT ANY APART FROM COMPOSITE
COMPOSITE GROUP FLASH
RYTHM GROUP FLASH (2+1)
(2+1)
PREFERRED CHANNEL TO PREFERRED CHANNEL TO
STARBOARD PORT
COLOUR RED, GREEN, RED GREEN, RED, GREEN HORIZONTAL

HORIZONTAL STRIPES STRIPES
BUOY SHAPE CYLINDRICAL(CAN), PILLAR, CONICAL, PILLAR, SPAR

SPAR
TOPMARK SINGLE RED CYLINDER(CAN) SINGLE GREEN CONE POINTING

UPWARD
LIGHT COLOUR RED GREEN
LIGHT RYTHM COMPOSITE GROUP FLASH COMPOSITE GROUP FLASH (2+1)

(2+1)
For REGION A
LATERAL MARKS REGION B:
PORT HAND MARKS STARBOARD HAND MARKS

COLOUR GREEN RED
BUOY CYLINDRICAL(CAN), PILLAR,
CONICAL, PILLAR, SPAR
SHAPE SPAR
SINGLE GREEN SINGLE RED CONE POINTING
TOPMARK
CYLINDER(CAN) UPWARD
LIGHT
GREEN RED
COLOUR
ANY APART FROM ANY APART FROM
LIGHT
COMPOSITE GROUP FLASH COMPOSITE GROUP FLASH
RYTHM
(2+1) (2+1)
PREFERRED CHANNEL TO
STARBOARD PREFERRED CHANNEL TO PORT
GREEN, RED, GREEN HORIZONTAL RED, GREEN, RED

COLOUR STRIPES HORIZONTAL STRIPES
BUOY SHAPE CYLINDRICAL(CAN), PILLAR, SPAR CONICAL, PILLAR, SPAR
SINGLE RED CONE POINTING

TOPMARK SINGLE GREEN CYLINDER(CAN) UPWARD
LIGHT COLOUR GREEN RED
COMPOSITE GROUP FLASH

LIGHT RYTHM COMPOSITE GROUP FLASH (2+1) (2+1)
For REGION B
REGION A VS
REGION B
REGION A TRACKING
REGION B TRACKING
Region A – Starboard Hand Mark
Region A – Preferred Channel To Starboard
Region B – Port Hand
Ship Entering Por Of Busan, South Korea – Region B
2. CARDINAL MARKS
• Cardinal marks are used in
conjunction with the compass to
indicate where the mariner may find
the best navigable water. They take
their name from the quadrant in
which they are placed. They have
the same colour and same shape
irrespective of the regions A and B.
• There are 4 cardinal marks named
after the four cardinal points of the
compass; NORTH, SOUTH, EAST AND
WEST. Each mark can be distinguished
from one another from their top
marks, buoy colour and rhythm of
light. When a cardinal mark is seen,
remember that clear and navigable
water lies on the named side of the
mark.
The rhythm of
light can be
related to the face
of a clock. All
cardinal marks
exhibit white light.
The table below
describes the light
rhythm for each
cardinal mark.
3. SAFE WATER MARKS
• Unlike other marks that use horizontal
stripes, this is the only mark to use vertical
stripes. Safe watermark does not point to
any danger but specifies that safe navigable
water is all around the mark.
• Safe water marks are instrumental to

mariners as they indicate the beginning of a
marked channel. So when a mariner sees a
safe watermark on a chart, he should soon
realize that he is approaching a channel.
• It is the demarcation
between open sea waters
and confined waters. It
indicates the entrance to any
port. It also points out the
best point of the passage
under a fixed bridge.
• Safe watermark uses a
red ball as a top mark.
Safe watermarks can
be used in a line to
mark navigable safe
water route through
shallow areas.
SAFE WATERMARK
COLOUR RED AND WHITE VERTICAL STRIPES
BUOY
PILLAR, SPAR, SPHERICAL
SHAPE
TOPMAR
SINGLE RED SPHERE
K
LIGHT
WHITE
COLOUR
LIGHT ISOPHASE, OCCULTING, 1 LF EVERY 10
RHYTHM SECS OR MORSE CODE ‘A’
4. ISOLATED DANGER MARKS
• As the name suggests, these buoys
are used to mark dangers to shipping.
They highlight and bring to the
attention of mariners any hazards or
dangers to safe navigation.
• These marks are erected or moored

above the danger to alert mariners of
any peril ahead. An isolated danger
mark indicates that there is navigable
water all around the mark.
• These marks can be
distinguished from other
marks by their top marks,
which consist of 2 black
spheres one above the other
and by their colour – black
with one or more red
horizontal bands. The rhythm
of light, group flashing 2 can
easily be retained in memory
by correlating to its top mark -
2 black spheres.
5. SPECIAL MARK
• Special marks are used to
denote mariners’ areas with
special features. They do not
play any major role in
facilitating mariners in safe
navigation. They only point
out areas of certain interests
to mariners. The nature of
such areas can be found by
consulting the charts or
Sailing Directions.
• Special marks may indicate spoil
grounds, military exercise areas,
recreational zones, boundaries of
anchorage areas, cables and pipelines,
Dead ends, mooring areas, protected
areas, marine farms or aquaculture, oil
wells, ODAS(Ocean Data Acquisition
System) which gather information about
wind speed, pressure, salinity and
temperature.
SPECIAL MARK
COLOUR YELLOW
BUOY OPTIONAL BUT MUST NOT CONFLICT WITH

SHAPE THAT USED FOR A LATERAL OR SAFE
WATERMARK
TOPMARK SINGLE YELLOW CROSS – ‘X’ SHAPED
LIGHT YELLOW
COLOUR
LIGHT ANY RHYTHM NOT USED FOR WHITE LIGHT

RYTHM
6. EMERGENCY MARKING BUOY
• Emergency wreck marking buoys mark
newly discovered unsurveyed dangers
which are yet to be announced and
declared in nautical publications and
charts.
• This buoy is placed as close as possible to

the wreck and unlike other buoys, is
designed to provide a highly conspicuous
visual and radio aid to navigation.
EMERGENCY WRECK MARKING BUOY
COLOUR YELLOW AND BLUE STRIPES – MINIMUM 4

MAXIMUM 8
BUOY SHAPE PILLAR OR SPAR
TOPMARK UPRIGHT YELLOW CROSS +
LIGHT YELLOW
COLOUR
LIGHT ANY RHYTHM NOT USED FOR WHITE LIGHT
RYTHM B 1.0S + 0.5S + Y 1.0S + 0.5S

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IALA BUOYAGE

• Region B comprises of North, South, Central America, Japan, Korea

In region B, the colours are reversed. Regional variations do not pertain

• Isolated danger Marks

• Safe Water Marks

• Emergency Wreck Marking Buoy

• However, when a vessel travels downstream, the position of marks will

PORT HAND MARKS STARBOARD HAND MARKS

COLOUR RED, GREEN, RED GREEN, RED, GREEN HORIZONTAL

BUOY SHAPE CYLINDRICAL(CAN), PILLAR, CONICAL, PILLAR, SPAR

TOPMARK SINGLE RED CYLINDER(CAN) SINGLE GREEN CONE POINTING

LIGHT COLOUR RED GREEN

LIGHT RYTHM COMPOSITE GROUP FLASH COMPOSITE GROUP FLASH (2+1)

PORT HAND MARKS STARBOARD HAND MARKS

GREEN, RED, GREEN HORIZONTAL RED, GREEN, RED

BUOY SHAPE CYLINDRICAL(CAN), PILLAR, SPAR CONICAL, PILLAR, SPAR

SINGLE RED CONE POINTING

LIGHT COLOUR GREEN RED

COMPOSITE GROUP FLASH

• Safe water marks are instrumental to

• These marks are erected or moored

BUOY OPTIONAL BUT MUST NOT CONFLICT WITH

LIGHT ANY RHYTHM NOT USED FOR WHITE LIGHT

• This buoy is placed as close as possible to

COLOUR YELLOW AND BLUE STRIPES – MINIMUM 4

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