It’s a bit like air traffic control but in a slow motion, two-dimensional space,” says Keith Bennett, a Team Leader and Vessel Traffic Service Officer (VTSO) based at HM Coastguard’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Dover.
“Essentially, we supervise activity in the English Channel to ensure that vessels are aware of all relevant information and comply with routing and regulations as they pass through the world’s first ever Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) at the Dover Strait.”
Keith’s team collect, record and provide information to ensure safe navigation across the English Channel and deep-water tracks near to the Thames Estuary, promoting the safety of all vessels and preventing risk of collisions or running aground.
“Globally, all vessels must comply with international collision regulations – it’s sort of a Highway Code for the sea. These are simple rules that began use in the 1970s and are still in use today,” he adds.
Supervision of vessels in this incredibly busy maritime stretch is shared between the UK, which maintains the South West lane, and France, which oversees vessels travelling in the North East Lane from its MRCC at Gris-Nez in Audinghen.
With teams of eight staff at Falmouth MRCC and 16 at Dover, VTSOs play a crucial role in managing this finely tuned arrangement, which comes with a multitude of complications and configurations. Bad weather, vessel surveys and maritime incidents all pose significant risks to the running of the lane, where situations arise quickly, and a prompt and effective response is critical.
“On the open seas, there’s space and room to manoeuvre away from other smaller vessels, but through the Channel, it’s more like a very busy motorway where all vessels are in close proximity.
“The area we cover is around 136 miles, and we’re often tracking more than 1,000 vessels, so there’s a lot to watch at any one time, and that’s done by two of us working on shift together.
“Throughout cross-channel swim season, you’ve also potentially got 12 swimmers and support vessels cutting across the narrowest part of the lane at Dover – so you need to be acutely aware of where vessels are and what dangers might be present.”
Then there’s ‘The Sunk’, a deeper entry point into London and Felixstowe for large vessels. Keith and his team will ‘stack up’ vessels waiting to enter the Thames Estuary here, as pilots board 400-metre-long container ships looking transit the route with less than a metre of water between themselves and the sea bed.
“It’s a huge responsibility, and it’s very strictly controlled because as you can imagine, the risks of collision or running aground here could have catastrophic consequences,” says Keith, who began his maritime career as a Merchant Naval Officer at 16.
“As VTSOs, we go through a lot of training and we develop our skills in areas of radio comms, nautical and maritime knowledge, but it’s been great to see new people joining the coastguard with hugely varied cross section of specialisms, not just those from the maritime sector.
“This isn’t really work for me! I love my job, and it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do. I think that it’s so important to celebrate the work of all Control Room staff. We’re one team and through 12-hour shifts, Christmases, Bank Holidays, we’re here. 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
