Safety and Security

The ports of the Network are working industrial sites. Cranes lift loads of many tonnes over the quay, terminal tractors and straddle carriers move constantly between the stacks, and vessels berth and sail at all hours. The Ports Authority of the Velocity Interoperability Network is responsible for the safety of every person within its ports, for the security of the operational areas, and for the response to an incident at a terminal or on the water within port limits.

The rules on this page apply to everyone in an operational area of a port: the Authority's own staff, the staff of shipping agents, contractors, hauliers, the crews of vessels alongside and visitors. They take effect on Monday 7 September 2026 with the opening of the Authority's terminals. A breach may result in a person being removed from the port and a pass being withdrawn, and in a contractor or agent being refused further access.

In an emergency

Raise the alarm at the nearest emergency point and, if it is safe to do so, tell the terminal office or the nearest warden what has happened and where. Every terminal has emergency points along the quay and at each gate, and every port has an emergency control point staffed at all times. Do not move a seriously injured person unless leaving them where they are would put them in greater danger.

612
Staff of the Authority trained in the port safety rules before establishment: 84
Wardens and gate staff on duty across the four ports: 3,140
Port passes issued and in force at establishment: 4
Emergency control points, one at each port, staffed at all times

Rules for working and moving within the ports. The rules below are the Authority's standing requirements. They are supplemented at each terminal by local instructions covering the layout of that terminal, which are given at the safety induction and displayed at the gate.

Protective equipment: A high-visibility garment, safety footwear and a safety helmet must be worn at all times in an operational area. Eye and hearing protection must be worn where the terminal displays a notice requiring them, and a lifejacket must be worn when working within three metres of an unfenced quay edge.
Movement on foot: Persons on foot keep to the marked walkways and cross vehicle routes only at marked crossings. No person on foot may enter a container stack, a crane runway, a roll-on roll-off ramp while it is in use, or the area beneath a suspended load. A visitor on foot must be accompanied by a member of the Authority's staff.
Vehicles within the ports: The speed limit is 20 kilometres per hour on terminal roads and 10 kilometres per hour within a stacking or working area. Vehicles keep to the marked routes, give way to port plant at all times, and are not left standing in a working area. Reversing in a working area requires a banksman.
Crane and plant operating zones: The area within a crane's operating zone is closed to all persons and vehicles other than those working the vessel. The zone is marked on the quay and its boundary is not crossed while the crane is in motion. Straddle carriers and terminal tractors have right of way throughout a stacking area.
Lifting operations: No lift is made without a lifting plan agreed by the terminal, and no person passes beneath a suspended load. A lift over 100 tonnes requires a written plan approved by the terminal manager, and the surrounding area is cleared before it begins. Lifting gear is inspected before each shift and its certificates are held at the terminal office.
Hot work and naked flame: Welding, cutting, grinding and any other work producing a flame or a spark requires a hot work permit issued by the terminal for a stated period and a stated place. Hot work is not permitted within 30 metres of dangerous goods, at the Northgate Liquid Bulk Jetty while a transfer is in progress, or on the open quay in wind above 25 knots.
Smoking: Smoking is not permitted anywhere within the operational areas of the ports, on any quay or jetty, or aboard a vessel alongside except in a space designated by its master and agreed with the terminal. Designated smoking areas are provided outside the gates.
Access to vessels: Access to a vessel is by the gangway or accommodation ladder only, properly rigged, lit and fitted with a safety net. A person going aboard reports to the officer on watch. No person boards a vessel that is under way, shifting or working cargo over the side by which access is rigged.
Dangerous goods areas: The segregated dangerous goods areas at the Southbank Container Terminal and the Northgate terminals are entered only by persons named on the terminal's permit for the consignment. The areas are marked and fenced, and the class of goods held is displayed at each entrance.
Work in high wind and poor visibility: Crane operations are suspended above the wind limits set for each machine, and container stacking above two tiers is suspended in wind above 40 knots. Where visibility falls below 100 metres in an operational area, work is suspended until it improves or until additional lighting and banksmen are in place.
Reporting an unsafe condition: Any person who sees an unsafe condition, a damaged fitting, a spillage or an obstruction reports it at once to the terminal office or the nearest warden. Work in the vicinity stops until the condition has been made safe. No person is disadvantaged for making such a report.
Security of the ports: The operational areas of every port are fenced, lit and under the watch of the Authority's wardens. Entry is by a valid port pass through a staffed gate. Persons, vehicles and cargo are subject to search on entry and on leaving, and a person who declines a search is refused entry.

Port passes. Entry to the operational areas of every port is by pass. The types of pass, who may hold each, how long it lasts and where it gives access are set out below. A pass gives access only to the areas recorded on it and only during the hours the terminal is open, unless the terminal office has agreed otherwise in advance.

Types of port pass
Pass	Who may hold it	Validity	Access	How it is obtained
Staff pass	Employees of the Authority	Three years	All operational areas for which the holder is trained	Issued on appointment
Agent pass	Registered shipping agents and their staff	One year	Terminal offices, quays and the gate at named terminals	On written application by the agency
Contractor pass	Contractors engaged at a terminal	Duration of the contract, up to one year	The area of the contract only	On written application by the engaging manager
Haulier pass	Drivers collecting or delivering cargo	One year	Gate, weighbridge and the marked vehicle routes	On written application by the haulage operator
Crew shore pass	Crew of a vessel alongside	The vessel's stay	The route between the gangway and the gate	Issued by the terminal against the crew list
Visitor pass	Visitors on business at a terminal	One day	Accompanied access only	Issued at the gate against an appointment
Vehicle pass	Vehicles entering an operational area	One year	The marked vehicle routes of the named terminal	Issued with a haulier or contractor pass

How to obtain a port pass. The steps below apply to every application. A pass is the property of the Authority and remains so; it is not transferable and lending it to another person is a ground for withdrawal.

Step 1: Establish that a pass is needed
A pass is required to enter any operational area of a port. A person attending a terminal office at the gate, or joining a ferry as a passenger, does not need one. A person who will go beyond the office or the passenger route does.
Step 2: Apply through the responsible organisation
Applications are made by the employing or engaging organisation, not by the individual. A registered shipping agent applies for its own staff, a haulage operator for its drivers, and the manager engaging a contractor for the contractor's staff. Write to the Authority with the names, the terminals concerned and the reason for access.
Step 3: Complete the safety induction
Every applicant completes the Authority's port safety induction, which covers the rules on this page, the layout and hazards of the terminal concerned and the emergency arrangements. The induction is given at the terminal and takes about two hours. A pass is not issued until it has been completed.
Step 4: Provide evidence of identity and competence
The applicant presents evidence of identity, and evidence of any qualification required for the work to be done, such as a licence for the plant to be operated or a certificate for lifting or hot work. The evidence is recorded and returned.
Step 5: Collect the pass
Passes are issued at the terminal office within five working days of a complete application. The pass records the holder, the areas to which it gives access and the date on which it expires. It is worn visibly at all times within the port.
Step 6: Return or renew the pass
A pass is returned to the Authority when the holder leaves the organisation that applied for it, or when the contract or the vessel's stay ends. A lost pass is reported at once and is cancelled. Renewal requires a further safety induction where the rules have changed since the pass was issued.

Emergency arrangements. Each port has an emergency control point staffed at all times, from which the Authority directs the response to a fire, a spillage, an injury, a person in the water or an incident aboard a vessel. On the alarm being raised, work in the area stops, plant is set down and made safe, and everyone not engaged in the response goes to the muster point marked at their terminal and remains there until the Authority stands the alarm down. Vessel movements within port limits are suspended while an emergency is in progress unless the harbour master directs otherwise.

Medical first response at the terminals is provided by the Authority's trained responders, who are on duty at every port during vessel operations. A spillage of oil or of a dangerous substance is contained by the Authority's equipment held at Southbank and Northgate; the master and the agent of the vessel concerned must report a spillage immediately, whatever its size.

Incidents and investigation. Every accident, every injury requiring more than immediate first aid, every fire however small, every spillage and every near miss is reported to the terminal office on the day it occurs and recorded by the Authority. The Authority investigates each report, and where a rule or a working practice needs to change it is amended and republished on this page. A summary of incidents is included in the Authority's quarterly statistical release.

Enquiries about the safety rules, applications for port passes and reports of an unsafe condition may be sent to contact@ports.gov.vin. The rules that apply to cargo are set out on the Cargo and Handling page, the conditions of movement for vessels on the Vessel Arrivals and Berthing page, and the layout, equipment and hours of each terminal on the Terminals page. For answers to common questions, see the frequently asked questions.