The Shipping Channel

It is important to give way to shipping. The skipper of any power boat, sail boat, paddle craft or other recreational or commercial vessel, whether underway or at anchor, shall ensure that their craft does not impede the navigation of any vessel of 500 gross tonnes or more.

Keep clear of big ships.

Be aware a ship’s blind spot can extend for hundreds of metres. Never anchor in a channel.

If the pilot vessel or Harbourmaster asks you to move from the shipping channels, you must move promptly.

Remember that large ships need plenty of room and will be travelling a lot faster than you think, as they enter our harbour. This also means they cannot stop quickly.

Do not cross the bow of a large ship, they cannot see you. Keep your distance.

Total Exclusion and Moving Exclusion Zones

There is a Moving Prohibited Zone and Total Exclusion Zone around any vessel of 3,000 GRT or more (the bigger size fishing vessels and up). This means big ships have exclusive rights to the cut and smaller vessels should not enter the cut when big ships are there. See Navigation Bylaw 2.3 (3.2MB PDF)

A moving prohibited zone is an area of navigable water around a large vessel that extends 100 metres on each side, 100 metres astern and 500 metres ahead of the vessel or follows the line of the buoyed channel when changing course.

Why is that ship honking its horn?

- One prolonged blast is a warning signal (for example, used when coming around a blind bend or exiting a slip). This is commonly used in Nelson harbour when a ship is entering/ departing through the cut, or about to leave the wharf.

Exclusion zones around wharves

All vessels are required to remain outside of a rectangular area measuring 50m from the wharf face and extending 50m ahead of the bow and 50m astern of the stern of any vessel lying at a wharf whether such vessel at the wharf is working cargo or not.

Keep clear from the bows and paths of larger vessels. 

See below a video on the dangers of big ships.