[QUOTE=Kennebec Captain;190802]There is a lot of variance in the approach used by VTS world-wide, when there are pilots on board they tend to be more laissez-faire of course.
Singapore is fairly aggressive in giving advice now if they see a ship getting close to the edge of the lanes or getting too close to another ship, especially a tanker.
Singapore MPA put out a notice a year or so ago that they intended to use pilots shoreside and communicate to the ships via VHF, I assume just advice at this point but the notice was not clear on the specifics.
Sometimes in U.S. and other ports the pilot boat will give a course to make a lee as it’s sometimes hard to tell from the bridge with sea and swell in different directions,
In some ports it taken a step or two further, under the table so to speak. If it’s too rough for the pilot to get on the pilot will ask the ship to come up the channel or even inside the breakwater in some ports to pick up a pilot. They’ll have you goose it to get in then slow down once inside to pick up the pilot, also they may advise you if you need a little more or less leeway etc.[/QUOTE]
Most collisions (not all) happens when ships from the East bound lane are turning to cross the opposite lane to take pilot at Eastern or Western Anchorage, or when out bound ships have dropped the pilot and are crossing the West bound lane to get to the East bound lane. It is a heavily trafficked Strait and not everybody follow rules to the letter.
Would such accident decrease if ALL ships were autonomous? Yes probably, but a computer may have had problems “understanding” that the other (manned) vessel may not do thing entirely by the book. That is why there will be people ashore taking over if and when necessary.
Whether that will be locally from VTS, or by shore based Pilots taking charge of the autonomous vessels at some point on approach I don’t know.
There is time enough to figure that one out before you see one steaming into Singapore, or any US port for that matter.
What you can be sure of is that when it happens, MPA Singapore will be ready.