Vessel traffic service

A vessel traffic service (VTS) is a shore-based system that monitors and manages ship movements in a port approach or coastal area to improve safety and traffic efficiency, established under SOLAS Regulation V/12 and IMO Resolution A.857(20). Using radar, AIS, VHF, and CCTV, a VTS provides information services, navigational assistance, and traffic organization, ranging from advisory broadcasts to active sequencing of arrivals and departures. It does not relieve the master of responsibility for navigation; it coordinates the traffic picture.