Navigation Buoy

Lateral buoys: The lateral buoys are among the most used buoys in maritime navigation. They signal the sides of navigable channels and the direction of safe water.

Cardinal buoys: Cardinal buoys indicate the safest water from a hazard. They are named after the compass's four cardinal points: North, east, south, and west. Each buoy is placed in the direction in which the safest water lies, bearing from the danger.

Bifurcation buoys: Bifurcation buoys mark the separation of a channel into two. These buoys guide mariners in knowing how to proceed with a branching waterway. Sometimes, a bifurcation buoy with red and green bands will indicate which channel is preferred for port or starboard while in movement.

Information buoys: Information buoys will provide the mariner with information vital for navigation that is not specifically related to safe passage. These buoys often have a range of symbols or text in an attempt to advise the mariner on such things as speed limits, directions, and many other regulatory functions.

Demarcation buoys: Demarcation buoys establish borders to all sorts of marine zones—for example, marking a safe water channel from a restricted area or transitioning from inland to coastal waters. Such buoys guide a mariner to stay within the areas marked for navigation and out of zones where different rules or hazards apply.

Emergency wreck marking buoys: The emergency wreck marking buoys were designed to temporarily mark newly discovered wrecks or hazards until permanent measures could be implemented. They appear outstanding because they are usually characterized by vertical blue and yellow stripes, with a light showing alternating flashes of blue and yellow.

Special buoys: There are a lot of uses for special purposes that do not classify with usual navigation or marking hazards. They May mark areas such as anchorages, fishing zones, or pipelines.