Maritime Authority Publishes Navigation Safety Regulations and First Notices to Mariners

The Maritime Authority of the Velocity Interoperability Network today published the Navigation Safety Regulations 2026, which come into force at 00:00 on Monday 7 September 2026. The Regulations apply to every vessel in the waters of the Network. They set speed limits of six knots in Southbank Harbour and eight knots in the Northgate Channel, require vessels of twenty-four metres or more to report before entering the Northgate Channel, prohibit anchoring in channels and near submarine cables, and require incidents to be reported to the Authority within twenty-four hours.

The Authority also issued its first six Notices to Mariners. Notice 2 of 2026 establishes a one-way traffic scheme in the Northgate Channel for vessels of twenty-four metres or more. Notice 3 prohibits anchoring within 500 metres of the cable route in Westbrook Roads from 14 September to 9 October 2026 while cable-laying works are carried out. Notice 4 records the relighting of the Eastfield Shoal beacon with a new character. The full text of every notice in force is published on the Notices to Mariners page of this site.

Notices to Mariners are issued in a weekly edition each Monday and at once where safety requires. Owners of registered vessels receive the weekly edition by email; others may be added to the distribution list by writing to contact@maritime.gov.vin. The Regulations, with a table of speed limits and traffic rules by area, are set out on the Navigation Safety page.