7. AIS on Aids to Navigation (AtoN)

AIS provides a suitable means for emphasising classic Aids to Navigation (AtoN) for the marking of buoys, wrecks, wind farms, etc. A special AIS AtoN message transfers the position and the meaning of the Aids to Navigation as well as information if the buoy is on the required position or if it has been swept away.

This AIS AtoN message can be either transmitted by an AIS shore station or by a specific AIS AtoN station mounted on a buoy, wind farm or lighthouse.

The AIS AtoN message can represent a real buoy lying in the water or a position where no real buoy is present. In the latter case this is called a virtual AtoN. Virtual AtoN’s may be displayed on an ECDIS chart and might be used to mark a wreck immediately after the accident before real buoys can be brought out, or to mark a fairway in ice conditions where buoys won’t last.