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State
California
HNC Sec 445-449.5 Vessel Traffic Service (VESSELS
)

HARBORS AND NAVIGATION CODE
SECTION 445-449.5





445. (a) The Marine Exchange of Los Angeles-Long Beach Harbor,
Inc., hereafter referred to as the marine exchange, a corporation
organized under the Non-Profit Mutual Benefit Corporation Law, Part 3
(commencing with Section 7110) of Division 2 of Title 1 of the
Corporations Code, may operate a vessel traffic service, in
cooperation with, and subject to the supervision of, the United
States Coast Guard, for the waters of San Pedro Bay, San Pedro
Channel, and Santa Monica Bay, within a radius of 25 nautical miles
of the Point Fermin Light. These waters shall be known in this
article as the "VTS area."
(b) This article applies only to the VTS area.



445.5. "Covered vessel," as used in this article, means any of the
following:
(a) Every power-driven vessel of 40 meters (approximately 131
feet) or more in length, while navigating.
(b) Every towing vessel of 8 meters (approximately 26 feet) or
more in length, while navigating. "Towing vessel," as used in this
article, means any commercial vessel engaged in towing another vessel
astern or alongside or by pushing it ahead.
(c) Every vessel issued a certificate to carry 50 or more
passengers for hire, when engaged in trade.



446. Prior to entering the VTS area, every covered vessel shall
report to the marine exchange the vessel's name, call sign, location,
course, speed, destination, estimated time of arrival, and any
impairment to the operation or navigation of the vessel, and, while
transiting the VTS area, every covered vessel shall comply with the
requirements of Section 447.5.



446.5. The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach may impose fees upon
all covered vessels within the VTS area to pay the cost of operating
the vessel traffic service.



447. The following vessels, while transiting the VTS area, shall
comply with the requirements of Section 447.5:
(a) Every power-driven vessel of 20 meters or more in length.
(b) Every vessel of 100 gross tons or more carrying one or more
passengers for hire.
(c) Every dredge and floating plant.


447.5. While transiting the VTS area, every vessel described in
Sections 445.5 and 447 shall do all of the following:
(a) Maintain continuous radio monitoring or communication with the
marine exchange on the radio channel dedicated to the vessel traffic
service.
(b) Respond promptly when hailed by the marine exchange.
(c) Communicate with the marine exchange in the English language.

(d) Comply with all VTS measures established by the marine
exchange that do not conflict with federal and state statutes or
regulations or the Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbor Safety Plan
prepared pursuant to Section 8670.23.1 of the Government Code.




448. The vessel traffic service shall be advisory in nature.
Nothing in this article relieves, or is intended to relieve, any
vessel, its owners, agents, charterers, operators, or other
responsible or designated parties of command of the vessel or of any
responsibilities they would otherwise have respecting the navigation
and operation of any vessel. Each vessel within the VTS area shall
be responsible for its safe navigation in accordance with the
International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (1972) and
any other international and local rules and regulations.



448.5. (a) It shall be understood and agreed, and shall be the
essence of the marine exchange's operation of the vessel traffic
service, that the marine exchange act as agent of each vessel subject
to the requirements of this article within the VTS area in providing
vessel traffic information and performing all other acts incidental
to operation of the vessel traffic service.
(b) No vessel subject to the requirements of this article shall
assert any claim against the marine exchange or any officer,
director, employee, or representative of the marine exchange for any
damage, loss, or expense, including any rights of indemnity or other
rights of any kind, sustained by the vessel or its owners, agents,
charterers, operators, crew, or third parties arising out of, or
connected with, directly or indirectly, the marine exchange's
operation of the vessel traffic service, even though resulting in
whole or in part from negligent acts or omissions, of the marine
exchange or any officer, director, employee, or representative of the
marine exchange.
(c) Each vessel subject to the requirements of this article shall
defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the marine exchange and its
officers, directors, employees, and representatives from any and all
claims, suits, or actions of any nature by whomsoever asserted, even
though resulting or alleged to have resulted from negligent acts or
omissions of the marine exchange or an officer, director, employee,
or representative of the marine exchange.
(d) Nothing in subdivisions (b) and (c) shall affect liability or
rights that may arise by reason of the gross negligence or
intentional or willful misconduct of the marine exchange or an
officer, director, employee, or representative of the marine exchange
in the operation of the vessel traffic service.



449. (a) The marine exchange and its officers and directors are
subject to Section 5047.5 of the Corporations Code to the extent that
the marine exchange meets the criteria specified in that section.
(b) Nothing in this section shall be deemed to include the marine
exchange or its officers, directors, employees, or representatives
within the meaning of "responsible party" as defined in subdivision
(q) of Section 8670.3 of the Government Code and subdivision (p) of
Section 8750 of the Public Resources Code for the purposes of the
Lempert-Keene-Seastrand Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act
(Article 3.5 (commencing with Section 8574.1) of Chapter 7 and
Chapter 7.4 (commencing with Section 8670.1) of Division 1 of Title 2
of the Government Code and Division 7.8 (commencing with Section
8750) of the Public Resources Code).



449.3. The marine exchange shall cooperate fully with the
administrator appointed pursuant to Section 8670.4 of the Government
Code in the development and implementation of the vessel traffic
service system required by Section 8670.21 of the Government Code.
Upon certification by the administrator that, pursuant to Section
8670.21, the Coast Guard has commenced operation of a fully federally
funded vessel traffic service system for the Los Angeles/Long Beach
harbor, the authorization contained in Section 445 for the marine
exchange to operate a vessel traffic service is revoked.



449.5. (a) Upon request by the administrator, the marine exchange
shall submit a complete description and operational status report of
the vessel traffic service. After a public hearing, the
administrator shall, in accordance with paragraph (8) of subdivision
(f) of Section 8670.21 of the Government Code, determine whether the
elements and operation of the vessel traffic service are consistent
with the harbor safety plan for the Los Angeles and Long Beach
harbors developed pursuant to Section 8670.23.1 of the Government
Code and the standards of a statewide vessel traffic service plan or
system developed pursuant to Section 8670.21 of the Government Code.

(b) If, pursuant to subdivision (a), the administrator determines
that the vessel traffic service is inconsistent with the harbor
safety plan for the Los Angeles and Long Beach harbors developed
pursuant to Section 8670.23.1 of the Government Code and the
standards of a statewide vessel traffic service plan or vessel
traffic monitoring and communications system developed pursuant to
Section 8670.21 of the Government Code, the administrator shall issue
an order to the marine exchange which specifies modifications to the
vessel traffic service to eliminate the inconsistencies.
(c) If the marine exchange has not complied with an order within
six months of issuance, then the administrator, after a public
hearing, may take any or all of the following actions:
(1) Impose on the marine exchange an administrative fine of not
more than five thousand dollars ($5,000) for each day the marine
exchange does not comply with the administrator's order.
(2) Administratively revoke the authorization provided to the
marine exchange by Section 445 to operate the vessel traffic service.

(d) If authorization for the marine exchange to operate the vessel
traffic service is revoked pursuant to this section, the
administrator shall take any action that is necessary to
expeditiously establish a vessel traffic service for the Los Angeles
and Long Beach harbors. The action may include the assessment of
fees on vessels, port users, and ports, and the making of needed
expenditures, as provided in subdivision (d) of Section 8670.21.