Improved conditions of navigation in the Hatter Barn area 

The amendments became effective on 1 July 2009 and since then it has become much safer to navigate through the area since no unintentional incidents have been identified with ships entering the traffic separation zone in the wrong way, as was previously the case.

The background for the amendments was the fact that the monitoring of the area had identified several inconveniences, especially as regards two circumstances. One of them was the frequent identification of northbound ships that did not always succeed in entering the southern end of the traffic separation zone in the correct way, which resulted in them ending in the wrong traffic route intended for southbound ships. The other circumstance was small and slow-going ships’ unnecessary occupation of space in the traffic separation zone since, because of the regulations for preventing collisions at sea, they could not navigate in the coastal traffic zone southeast of the traffic separation zone.

Consequently, Denmark decided to request the IMO to amend the design of the traffic separation scheme, to annul the coastal traffic zone and to introduce a traffic separation zone instead. Furthermore, the buoying in the area was optimized, including especially in the southern part of the new traffic separation zone. This buoying gave a more distinct image on the radar.

When the coastal traffic zone was annulled, the regulations for preventing collisions at sea on navigation in traffic separation systems made it possible for small and slow-going ships with a low draught to engage in coastal trade in the area southeast of the traffic separation scheme. This has been requested by ships engaged in local traffic which previously had to share the traffic separation zone with large and fast-going ships.