USCG Vessel Traffic Service, San Francisco CA

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History and Fact Sheet

OUR MISSION

The primary purpose of Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) San Francisco is to facilitate the safe and efficient transit of vessel traffic in the waterways of San Francisco Bay, its seaward approaches and tributaries in an effort to prevent collisions, rammings, groundings and the associated loss of life and damage to property and the environment.
The secondary purpose of VTS San Francisco is to provide assistance to other Coast Guard units in the accomplishment of their missions, such as search and rescue, maritime law enforcement, and aids to navigation.
VTS San Francisco is responsible for the safe movement of approximately 133 miles of waterway from offshore to the ports of Stockton and Sacramento. VTS San Francisco averages 250 vessel movements a day.

BACKGROUND AND HISTORY

Jan 1968 - HARP Formulated: The Harbor Advisory Radar Project (HARP) was formulated in January 1968. The purpose of HARP was to evaluate land based radar in maritime traffic control. San Francisco was selected as the site of the first project, in early 1969, due to the well developed Coast Guard communications system in the Bay Area, the port traffic density was not high enough to require complex data collection and the high occurrence of fog allowed a complete evaluation of system benefits during low visibility. It was believed at that time that the experience gained at San Francisco Bay would be applicable at other ports.
Jan 1970 - HARP Operational: In January 1970, HARP became operational. Located at Pier 45 Fishermans wharf in the Marine Exchange lookout station, HARP worked on channel 18A VHF-FM. HARP was a voluntary system of vessel movement reports. No Captain of the Port authority was granted to direct vessel movements.
Jan 1971 - Collision: On 18 January 1971 at 0141 in low visibility, as the HARP watchstanders looked helplessly on, the Tankers ARIZONA STANDARD and OREGON STANDARD collide near the Golden Gate Bridge spilling 800,000 gallons of oil into San Francisco Bay causing extreme environmental damage and raising national publicity. This collision resulted in the complete shutdown of port operations. The cause of the accident, according to the NTSB was: (1) the failure of the vessels to establish and maintain communications; (2) navigating a narrow channel in dense fog; (3) failure of the OREGON STANDARD to make timely radar contact; (4) Loss of radar contact by the ARIZONA STANDARD and (5) negligence on the part of both masters. The NTSB recommended that HARP be continued and that legislation be passed by congress requiring the use of Bridge-to-Bridge radiotelephone.
Aug 1971 - Bridge to Bridge Radiotelephone Act: In 1971 the Bridge to Bridge Radiotelephone Act was passed by Congress. This act requires vessels to carry a radiotelephone on the navigation bridge to be used to communicate movement intentions to the bridge of other vessels. Implementing regulations by the Coast Guard and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) designated VHF FM Channel 13 as the Bridge-to-Bridge frequency.
Sep 1971 - VTS Advisory Committee Established: In September 1971 an advisory committee was established for the establishment of VTS San Francisco. The purpose of this committee was to establish traffic lanes in San Francisco Bay (the Traffic Separation Scheme was adopted for use in March 1973), and to develop draft regulations for the use of the traffic lanes. The committee consisted of 10 members (tug/ferry operators and pilots/masters).
Jul 1972 - Ports and Waterways Safety Act: In July 1972 the Ports and Waterways Safety Act was passed by Congress. This act authorizes the Coast Guard to establish, operate and maintain vessel traffic services for ports, harbors, and other waters subject to congested vessel traffic.
Aug 1972 - VTS San Francisco Established: In August 1972 VTS San Francisco was established and in May 1973 VTS San Francisco was relocated atop Yerba Buena Island in the middle of San Francisco Bay. The operating frequency of VTS was changed to VHF FM Channel 13.
1978 - Port and Tanker Safety Act: This act gave the Coast Guard authority via the Secretary of Transportation to order any vessel to operate or anchor in a manner to which the Coast Guard directs if by reason of weather, visibility, sea conditions, port congestion, or other hazardous circumstances such directive is justified in the interest of safety.
Nov 1978: At 0845 on 5 November 1978, in low visibility near the Golden Gate Bridge, the M/V ORIENTAL FINANCIER and F/V KAISER collide in San Francisco Bay with no loss of life (4 persons rescued even though the F/V was totally destroyed). VTS did not have the F/V on radar and the skipper reported that he was not listening to channel 13. It was determined that VTS procedures were adequate at the time of this accident.
Nov 1980: On 2 November 1980, after VTS San Francisco took navigational control of a charter F/V (lost in the fog), the F/V DORA BELLA ran aground near Baker Beach vicinity Golden Gate Bridge, no loss of life. However this incident established guidelines for navigational control of vessels by VTS that are still in effect today (under no circumstances does VTS take navigational control of a vessels movement).
May 1986: On 26 May 1986, the Tanker GOLDEN GATE, while proceeding northbound offshore (7 miles NNW of Point Reyes), collided with the F/V JACK Jr. resulting in the loss of three lives. This accident resulted in VTS establishing the Offshore Vessel Movement Reporting System (OVMRS). The OVMRS was the first of its kind in the United States. The OVMRS is used to receive vessel movement information (course, speed and ETA's to various reporting points) from vessels transiting through an area bounded by a 38.7 nautical mile radius around Mount Tamalpais. The information received from vessels is broadcast on VHF channel 12 by VTS twice an hour on the quarter hour.
1990 - Oil Pollution Act (OPA 90): This Act required that the Coast Guard specify certain vessels must participate in a VTS. The Coast Guard begins process to establish VTS National Regulations which became effective October 1994.
Oct 1994 - VTS National Regulations: On 13 October 1994, federal regulations made participation in the VTS mandatory for power-driven vessels 40+ meters long while navigating, towing vessels 8+ meters long while towing, and vessels certificated to carry 50+ passengers for hire while engaged in trade.
May 1995 - San Francisco Bay Regulated Navigation Areas: On 3 May 1995, federal regulations went into effect establishing regulated navigation areas within the San Francisco Bay Region. These regulations, developed with input from the Harbor Safety Committee of the San Francisco Bay Region, will increase navigation safety by organizing traffic flow patterns; reducing meeting, crossing, and overtaking situations in constricted channels; and by limiting vessels' speeds.
23 May 1997 - Commenced operations with new VTS Upgrade System: VTS Upgrade System includes the installation of state-of-the-art computer digitized radar displays shown on electronic charts. The capabilities of the new system will automate many of the controller's duties allowing more time for monitoring traffic.

VTS YEARLY PARTICIPANTS

Type of Vessel	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997**
Commercial	5,761	5,877	5,876	4,959	5,085	5,515	5,082	4,925	3,894
Hazardous	95	83	97	157	86	77	76	87	89
U. S. Navy	2,236	1,913	1,823	1,330	854	651	540	267	105
U. S. Coast Guard	2,572	1,907	1,788	1,650	1,400	1,323	2,052	1,556	1,021
Submarines	67	70	69	61	79	56	54	18	16
Foreign Navy	45	59	49	51	39	30	31	44	28
Tugs without Tow	868	525	517	442	361	910	1,968	1,994	1,370
Tugs with Tow	13,790	14,553	13,085	12,812	13,937	11,764	15,735	15,666	12,434
Deep Draft	248	205	230	237	265	298	206	188	97*
Ferries	56,036	58,343	56,580	54,439	59,967	56,478	59,341	66,290	53,780
US Government	935	1,081	904	1,066	737	841	911	980	1,017
Non-channel 13	532	310	236	514	693	707	679	618	198
Dredges	2,819	2,390	1,914	2,255	3,100	1,563	1,393	2,063	1,086
Tankers	3,907	3,684	3,570	3,537	3,681	3,224	2,737	2,848	208
Passenger Ships	65	70	157	102	163	136	281	319	36
TOTALS	89,976	91,070	86,895	83,614	87,447	83,573	91,086	97,863	77,258

* Deep Draft Statistics not recorded after 22 May 1997.
** 1997 Statistics as of 30 September 1997.
More statistics are forthcoming. Watch this space.

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Last Modified 8/6/2008