The Resolution of Potential Conflict between Commercial and Pleasure Craft in Coastal Waters

Abstract

This paper is one of four presented at a joint meeting with the Honourable Company of Master Mariners on 17 April 1991. I N T R O D U C T I O N .The number of craft using the coastal waters around our island continues to increase yearly. The demands on this area of concentrated traffic are threatening the erosion of the long-established and freely-held belief of unrestricted right of navigation. It is essential for those involved with the regulation and control of the waters around our coasts to be aware of the trends and implications and to plan and regulate accordingly.Conflict between commercial and pleasure craft in harbour areas falls into two main categories: direct interference of navigational rights, and the erosion of facilities and manoeuvring room.2. WHERE AND WHEN DOES CONFLICT ARISE? In determining the potential for conflict, it is necessary to identify those areas and times where it is most likely to occur. These can be better treated by analysing separately the two sectors.3. PLEASURE CRAFT. Where is conflict most likely to occur? There has been little collation of figures on a national basis and analysis of the data over a period. A recent survey by the British Ports Federation highlights the concentration of pleasure craft of over 7 m in length around our coast. (See figure 1, in which the map and data are by courtesy of the British Ports Federation.) As expected, the large concentrations of pleasure craft nationally are along the Channel coast and into East Anglia. The most significant of these are within the harbours, estuaries and approaches. Even in the more sparsely populated regions, very high concentrations can be expected in these areas.Information from ports indicates increasing numbers of pleasure users with pressure on space for moorings and navigation. Fowey Harbour is typical of many ports on the South Coast, with a predominant leisure side to the operation and, to illustrate growth, the figures from my own port are used. These are, to a large extent, mirrored in other ports handling leisure traffic.In Fowey, there is the advantage of one Authority controlling all the harbour operations. Mooring numbers have increased year by year, as illustrated in Figure 2. Saturation point is rapidly being approached, given the fact that areas of moorings have been designated whilst keeping clear areas for users, fisheries and 377