Maritime Glossary
Vessel Traffic Service
Also known as: VTS
A shore-based monitoring and advisory service managing vessel movements in busy or hazardous ports and waterways.
Status: ActiveVerified: Source confidence: high (96%)
Full Definition
VTS provides information service (weather, traffic), navigational assistance (manoeuvre advice), and traffic organisation (mandatory routing, anchorage assignment) under IMO Resolution A.857(20). SOLAS V/12 requires coastal states to establish VTS where appropriate. VTS operators use radar, AIS, CCTV, and VHF. Major systems include Singapore VTS, Rotterdam Port Information Service (PORT VAN), and the Dover Strait Coastguard.
Domain Tags
navigationsafetyregulation