AbstractIn recent years, society has become more complex, populations have become larger, demands have become more persistent and expectations have gone higher. In these times of rapid change and fast transportation, the thread of consistency is maintained by the unchanging sea and the ever‐present hazards she presents. Equally persistent, even if not always so successful, are the efforts of the navigator to overcome the harshness of his salty mistress–the sea. Because of the extensive requirement for the goods of commerce borne over the oceans of the world, and the recently awakened universal awareness of the environment and its degradation, technology has leaped forward to provide the wherewithal and the hardware to move the enormous quantity of goods from place to place and to satisfy the tremendous energy requirements of civilization while trying to maintain the ledger book in balance with minimum effect on the environment.The impact of the growth of commerce coupled with the restrictions of various harbors provides an interface with the maritime environment which naturally causes an important conflict. The best solution for a conflict of this type short of abolition of commerce is the establishment of an effective marine traffic system that will be all things to all people or a system that will accomplish the greatest good with the least possible disruption of existing conditions and customs. An additional constraint is one of cost which is a most important consideration. In the current language, the term “cost‐benefit” continues to be brought forward and indeed this term must be well considered, as this is the basis for the business. These concepts will be develo