Cowes Port Handbook 2014-2015 April 2014 | Page 10

COWES PORT HANDBOOK 2014 - 2015

Precautionary Area

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An approach to Cowes may involve entering the Precautionary Area and
the associated Moving Prohibited Zone (MPZ) that exists around large
commercial vessels navigating the approaches to the port of Southampton.
The Precautionary Area is bounded by the Hook buoy off Calshot Castle
to the north and the Gurnard and Prince Consort buoys to the south
and assists the safe transit of supertankers, cruise ships, and other large
commercial vessels over 150m in length. 
The area is shown in the diagram below and as a leisure visitor you need
to be aware that commercial shipping maintains a right of way in the
Precautionary Area. You must keep out of the way. The MPZs around
large vessels require you to keep a minimum 1,000m ahead and 100m
either side of the ship in question, bearing in mind that the ‘zone’ moves
with the ship. On a flood tide vessels may initially alter course to port
and head towards the Gurnard buoy before making a large alteration to
starboard to enter the Thorn Channel.
More information is contained in Southampton Notice to Mariners No.
03 of 2014: Port of Southampton - Precautionary Area (Thorn Channel),
at www.southamptonvts.co.uk/Port_Information/Navigation.

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