Since 2021, vessels that pass through the Changhua Wind Farm Channel have been required to make a Pre-Arrival Notification (PAN) to authority, VTS for approval beforehand. This has been changed. In Maritime and Port Bureau official notification dated 14 August 2025, PAN is no longer required. But all vessels still need to report Changhua VTS.

All vessels using the Changhua Wind Farm Channel are required to report to Changhua VTS except fishing boats registered under the flag of Taiwan (Republic of China) with their AIS operational throughout.

Upon arrival of the Wind Farm, vessels shall keep watching on designated channels. The language used for communications is Mandarin or English with the use of the IMO Standard Marine Communication Phrases. Following are the channels of VHF for communications with VTS as required.

Channel

Frequency

Function

16

156.800 MHz

Distress, urgency and safety calling

68

156.425 MHz

Reporting upon arrival

74

156.725 MHz

Promulgation of Maritime Safety Information

The locations of reporting lines to the traffic in the Channel have been established/adjusted.

To effectively monitor and service vessel traffic in the Channel, six reporting lines have been established as below.

T Line: from (24°20'.00N, 120°05'.47E) to (24°15'.33N, 120°05'.47E)

N Line: from (24°20'.00N, 120°05'.47E) to (24°20'.00N, 120°23'.00E)

C Line: from (24°20'.00N, 120°23'.00E) to (24°05'.97N, 120°23'.00E)

P Line: from (23°48'.00N, 119°45'.00E) to (23°59'.83N, 119°45'.00E)

S Line: from (23°48'.00N, 119°45'.00E) to (23°48'.00N, 120°05'.67E)

M Line: from (23°48'.00N, 120°05'.67E) to (23°52'.03N, 120°05'.67E)

Vessels shall report to VTS when crossing respective reporting positions.

• Southbound traffic shall report to VTS upon arrival at Reporting Line T, N, or C
• Northbound traffic shall report to VTS upon arrival at Reporting Line P, S, or M

If the vessels plan to enter the Changhua Wind Farm Channel without crossing any Reporting Line, it shall report to Changhua VTS when they are within the range of 1 nautical mile close to the limit of Changhua Wind Farm Channel.

Vessels shall avoid crossing traffic lanes but if obliged to do so shall report to Changhua VTS.

Vessel Navigation Regulations:

The vessels shall always keep all regulations in COLREG in mind during the maneuvering in the Wind Farm, in particular Rule 10 appliable to the traffic separation scheme.

For some specific categorized vessels, some additional compliances are required.

Vessels in towing or pushing operations should use the East and West traffic buffer zones of the Changhua Wind Farm Channel for navigation. As of the offshore wind farm operation vessel, it should strictly follow the implementations of the sailing direction toward the designated buffer zones before entry to the wind farm.

Anchorage or Other Operation in the Wind Farm

In principle, no vessels may anchor in Changhua Wind Farm Channel nor near the

northern or southern ends of the Channel. For emergency, the vessel has to report it to Changhua VTS and avoid anchoring in the traffic lanes or submarine cable areas. Vessel must display appropriate lights and signals according to COLREG. Once the emergency is resolved, the vessel shall immediately leave the area.

Vessels using Changhua Wind Farm Channel are prohibited from undertaking any underwater, surface or overwater operations without prior permission from Taiwan competent authority and prior report to Maritime and Port Bureau (MPB), Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC), except fishing boats registered under the flag of Taiwan (Republic of China) for fishing operation.

For any further inquiry in respect of the Pre-Arrival Notification to pass through Changhua Wind Farm Channel, please kindly contact Taiwan Maritime Services Ltd., as the correspondent of P&I Club by email tmspis@panditms.com.tw or telephone: +886 983 345 693.