Carriage, Handling and Storage of Dangerous Goods along

the available water depth at the time of passage by reading the water level at the shore mark.
WATERWAYS 109
Easily recognisably solid constructions are only necessary in the beginning and at the end of the
dangerous areas which are known to be shallow. Such "monuments" have to be visible from the
navigation channel. Visibility can eventually be increased with paint. In very wide and shallow areas,
the shore mark might be kilometres away from the sight of the skippers and pilots so good positioning
is an important factor of this new aid to navigation tool.
4.3.4 Installation of Aids to Navigation System as Required
RECOMMENDATION
Based on the evaluation of the current physical aids to navigation study, install buoys and beacons
where required.
CHALLENGE
There is a serious lack of suitable and modern visual aids to navigation (see Section 4.3.2 above). The
MRC has made remarkable progress in this field with day and night aids to navigation between the port
of Phnom Penh and the Cambodian-Viet Nam border (2007), buoys on the Bassac River and Vam Nao
Pass in Viet Nam (2009) as well as the aids to navigation systems between Vientiane and Luang Prabang
(2009) and between Luang Prabang and Huay Xay (2011). Some of the new equipment needs further
fine tuning, however, and some buoys have to be relocated/repositioned upon request from the pilots.
However, much more needs to be done as many stretches are still without proper and modern
channel markers.
4.3.5 Development of a GPS Vessel Guidance System
RECOMMENDATION
A GPS Vesssel Guidance System should be developed and installed on the stretches of the Mekong
River in the Lao PDR and Thailand between the Golden Triangle and Pakse, and in Cambodia
between Steung Treng and Kompong Cham.
CHALLENGE
Physical marking of the navigation channel of the Mekong River in the Upper sections in the Lao
PDR and between the Lao PDR and Thailand has not been an easy or effective task. Installing aids
to navigation in extremely dangerous sections has been considered. However, the complexity of the
waterways in these regions and the large number of dangerous stretches makes this option prohibitively
expensive. The large seasonal variability in water levels and substantial amount of flood debris in the
wet season mean that unless the markers are removed and replaced during periods of peak flows,
there is a high probability of equipment damage or loss. The Middle/Upper Mekong River is difficult to
navigate because of the numerous rocks and rocky outcrops, and because of the changing river levels
that submerge the obstacles. These factors all create a challenging environment for maintaining a safe
and reliable channel marking system in the Upper Mekong.
An alternative approach to vessel guidance is therefore necessary on these stretches. Rather than
relying on the physical markers and their associated maintenance and cost challenges, navigators
should utilise new low-cost technologies in the form of GPS course guidance and identification of
submerged hazards. Working with the already skilled navigators of river-faring vessels, the optimal
course for wet and dry seasons could be recorded and displayed on a digital chart, providing a visual