There are steady increase of risks in marine environment, especially from the point of those coastal and surrounding environments as vessels become bigger and faster in recent years. The increases in marine accidents due to these risk factors lead each country to manage and operate Traffic Separation Schemes(TSS) with Vessel Traffic Service(VTS) as a means of reduction or prevention of marine accidents in own coastal and sea.
VTS can be expanded by sharing with other neighboring coastal countries which has two major purposes
the "prevention of marine accidents" and the "efficiency of harbor facilities. Also, it can consider the possibility of introducing the Vessel Traffic Management and Information System(VTMIS) within International Law and acceptance into the domestic regulation.
This study states that are closely examined general concepts of VTS such as meaning, history, purpose, equipment, capacity and responsibility including some states' legislation examples. It also considers on the UNCLOS, 1982 and IMO maritime conventions as International Law referring to the management of VTS.
On top of it, this paper focuses on the expansion of VTS application beyond the territorial seas of coastal countries and the necessity of the introduction of VTMIS as a newly developed mechanism within the framework of international law.
As VTS of coastal country has been established in the territorial waters, the coastal rights beyond the territorial waters in accordance with international law does not exist. However, a coastal country within the limited jurisdiction can optimize VTMIS to ensure a maritime safety, marine environment and maritime security. This requires close partnership with neighboring countries in the surrounding seas in order to prevent the damages of marine accidents and environmental calamity. And also each country concerned should improve national laws to perform VTMIS in their countries.