IALA
Transportation & Travel abbreviation · Maritime
| Stands for | International Organization for Marine Aids to Navigation |
|---|---|
| Categories | Transportation & Travel |
IALA stands for International Organization for Marine Aids to Navigation, a maritime abbreviation.
Organization that sets worldwide standards for buoys, lighthouses and other marine aids to navigation, including the two buoyage systems, Region A and Region B. It is based near Paris.
Example: In IALA Region B, mariners keep red buoys to starboard when returning from sea.
Usage notes
Founded in 1957 as the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities, a nongovernmental body, it became an intergovernmental organization under its current name in August 2024, keeping the IALA abbreviation. Region B, used in the Americas, Japan, South Korea and the Philippines, follows "red right returning"; Region A, used elsewhere, reverses the colors.
Related abbreviations
More maritime abbreviations
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- GRT – Gross register tonnage
- GT – Gross tonnage
- HMAS – His Majesty's Australian Ship
- HMCS – His Majesty's Canadian Ship
- HMS – His Majesty's Ship
- IMO – International Maritime Organization
- ISM – International Safety Management Code
- ISPS – International Ship and Port Facility Security Code
- LCL – Less than container load
- LOA – Length overall
- MARPOL – International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships