Rail of Ushant

The rail of Ushant is a Separation device of the maritime traffic off the island of Ushant (the most Western island of the Brittany).

It is about one of the maritime passages the most attended world with 54.200 ships in 2003, that is to say a daily average of 148, which represents a daily transit of approximately 700.000 tons, including 285.000 of oil and 90.000 tons of hazardous substances.

Installation of the device

Created in 1965 shortly after the first device set up by the international maritime Organization (OMI) in the Pas-de-Calais, the rail of Ushant then includes/understands an coastal area of 5 miles, a rail going up of 4 miles, a zone of separation of 2 miles and a rail going down from 4 miles.

The device is close to the coast to allow the last ships which still sail with the Sextant and at sight to position precisely compared to the Amer S of Ushant. The rail going up, that must borrow all the ships travelling towards the English Channel and which are often the ships presenting the most important position risks (in particular tankers), is closest to the coast because the rule (confirmed by the OMI in the international Règlement to prevent the boardings at sea of 1972) is that the ships must in a general way pass each other Bâbord/port side.

Unfortunately nobody is charged to take care of the respect of the device, of which a good part is then located out of the French territorial water. At that time, of many ships “cross” through the device, take it with misinterpretation, even circulate in the coastal area or between Ushant and the continent (by borrowing the Passage of Fromveur) in order to save time.

Improvement of the device after the catastrophe of Amoco Cadiz

Following the public mobilization which followed the catastrophe of the Amoco Cadiz in 1978, the device far away from the coast, modify and was supplemented. The rail going up was tiny room to 3 miles broad and is reserved for the ships not transporting dangerous goods, the zone of separation was extended to 8 miles, the rail going down with 5 miles, one second zone of separation of 6 miles was created, insulating a second rising rail which extends up to 33 miles from Ushant and which is reserved and obligatory for the tankers, chimiquiers, and other ships transporting of the hazardous substances. But the principal innovations are elsewhere.

The National marine receives a mission of police force to make respect the law in this zone. The Maritime police chief has the capacity to divert any ship whose behavior justifies it. A station control room, the CROSS-COUNTRY RACE Corsen, commun run with the National marine and the administration of the Maritime businesses is set up and lays out from 1979 of a radar long range installed on a Sémaphore of Ushant, then close from there on a lathe of 72 meters. The circulation of the tradind ships is prohibited in the zone located between the rail going up and the continent. An ocean-going tug (the Bee Flanders then the Bee Bourbon) is at the disposal of the CROSS-COUNTRY RACE for all the missions of assistance in the rail.

Recent modifications

This device presented however a major defect. The ships transporting of the dangerous or polluting goods for the marine ecosystem had, to join their reserved way and to leave it, to twice cross the ships which borrow the downward rail, first once for the ships travelling of Ushant towards the Cape Finisterre (in the North-West of the Iberian peninsula), and second once for the ships travelling of the device of the Casquets towards Ushant. These crossings were done out of reach and , station control rooms of the course Finisterre Corsen Jobourg. The device drew aside well the ships transporting of the dangerous goods of the coast but multiplied the collision risks.

For this reason, since 2003, the rail was recomposed two-track of navigation for all the ships, but is located much more at broad that the device of origin. The up line starts with 24 miles of the island and is broad of 5 miles. Then there is a zone of separation of 5 miles, then a down line of 5 miles of width also. Current means of navigation (System of positioning by satellites) allowing to position correctly without being in the sight of the coast.

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