Notices to Mariners
The Maritime Authority of the Velocity Interoperability Network issues Notices to Mariners to inform those who use the waters of the Velocity Interoperability Network of changes to buoyage and lights, works in progress, hazards, restrictions and traffic schemes. Notices supplement the Navigation Safety Regulations and the register of aids to navigation, and a master is expected to be aware of every notice in force for the waters in which the vessel is navigating.
Notices are numbered in sequence within each year and remain in force until the date stated or, where none is stated, until cancelled by a later notice. The first six notices were issued on 6 September 2026. The Authority announced the notices in the Newsroom on the same day.
Notices in force. The table below is the authoritative list of notices in force on 6 September 2026 and is updated with each weekly edition.
| Notice | Area | Subject | In force |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 of 2026 | All waters | Establishment of the Authority; Navigation Safety Regulations 2026 in force from 00:00 on 7 September 2026; harbour rules of member organisations cease to have effect | Until further notice |
| 2 of 2026 | Northgate Channel | One-way traffic scheme for vessels of 24 metres and over: northbound 00:00 to 11:59, southbound 12:00 to 23:59; report at Northgate Head before entering | Until further notice |
| 3 of 2026 | Westbrook Roads | Cable-laying works along the marked cable route; anchoring prohibited within 500 metres of the route; cable vessel shows the prescribed lights and shapes and is to be passed at slow speed | 14 September to 9 October 2026 |
| 4 of 2026 | Eastfield Approaches | Eastfield Shoal beacon relit; character changed to white, flashing once every 6 seconds, nominal range 5 nautical miles; north and south cardinal marks confirmed in position | Until further notice |
| 5 of 2026 | Meridian Sound | Survey vessel operating with towed equipment up to 800 metres astern; all vessels to keep 1,000 metres clear and not to pass astern | 21 September to 2 October 2026 |
| 6 of 2026 | Southbank Harbour | Dredging in the eastern basin; dredger and hopper barges at work; eastern basin closed to vessels under 12 metres between 07:00 and 19:00; speed limit of 6 knots reaffirmed throughout the harbour | 28 September to 23 October 2026 |
Notice 2 of 2026 establishes the one-way scheme in the Northgate Channel required by Regulation 4. Vessels of twenty-four metres and over proceed northbound during the morning period and southbound during the afternoon and night period; a vessel that cannot complete its passage within the period must report to the harbour office and wait at the Northgate Head or Southbank end as directed. Vessels under twenty-four metres are not bound by the scheme but keep to the starboard side of the channel.
Notice 3 of 2026 concerns the laying of a submarine cable across Westbrook Roads between Westbrook Quay and the Eastfield shore. The cable route is marked on the Authority's charts and by four yellow special marks laid for the duration of the works. Anchoring within 500 metres of the route is prohibited while the notice is in force and, once the cable is laid, within 200 metres of it under Regulation 6.
Receiving notices. Notices are distributed by email. The steps below describe how to receive them.
Step 1: Register your vessel, or ask to be added to the list
Owners of registered vessels receive the weekly edition automatically at the email address on the Register. Masters, pilots, harbour users and others who are not owners may ask to be added to the distribution list by writing to the Authority with their name and the capacity in which they use the Network's waters.
Step 2: Receive the weekly edition
The weekly edition is issued each Monday by 09:00 and lists every notice in force, marking those that are new, amended or cancelled since the previous edition. It also gives the harbour office's hours of watch for the week.
Step 3: Watch for urgent notices
Where a hazard arises that cannot wait for the weekly edition, the Authority issues an urgent notice at once to the same list and broadcasts it on the harbour working channel at the start of each hour until the next weekly edition.
Step 4: Keep your details current
Tell the Authority of any change to your email address. A notice sent to the address on the Register is treated as received by the owner.
Requesting a notice. A member organisation or contractor intending to carry out works in the waters of the Network, to lay moorings, to hold a regatta or other event on the water, or to operate a vessel with restricted manoeuvrability should write to the Authority at least fourteen days before the activity begins, giving its nature, position, dates and the vessels involved. The Authority issues a notice where one is needed and may attach conditions to protect other users.
Enquiries about notices, and requests to be added to or removed from the distribution list, may be sent to contact@maritime.gov.vin. For the lights and marks referred to in the notices, see Aids to Navigation; for the rules of the road in each area, see Navigation Safety.