guesswork out of high-speed ferry transits. When fer- ries follow the routes there is safe space between oppos- ing ferries, and recreational boaters know where to go to get out of their way. The Benicia-Martinez Railroad Communications Protocol is a unique agreement between commercial mariners, Union Pacific Railroad, Amtrak, and the Coast Guard. Its primary aim is to guar- antee the drawbridge be fully open well in time for an approaching ship. It also helps minimize delays for pas- senger trains crossing the bridge. Enhancing Maritime Domain Awareness as a Multimission Platform No other agency has the real-time maritime domain awareness of a VTS. In 2021, VTS oversaw approxi- mately 153,000 Vessel Movement Reporting System (VMRS) users transit through the area. VTS knows the precise location, destination, planned route, underwater draft, and at least a dozen other details for every VMRS user vessel in its area. It also knows the status of every waterway, dock, and anchorage in its area, making it especially suited to support operations during regional emergencies. The aforementioned events of April 2022 provide excellent examples of this capability. The VTS operator catching the vessel drifting was the start of a three-day emergency rescue evolution for which the Captain of the Port established an incident command post. VTS tracked and managed communications between the disabled vessel, rescue tugs, and other nearby vessels, while a VTS watch team, experts with knowledge of local geog- raphy and maritime operations, worked directly with the ship’s captain and agent. On the afternoon of the second day of the offshore crisis, the VTS operation center observed black smoke billowing from the Port of Benicia’s petroleum coke ter- minal, which was on fire with three deep draft ships moored alongside the dock. The Captain of the Port established a second incident command post, and VTS became the source for all maritime information around the fire scene. When emergency evacuation off all three ships became top priority, the Port of Benicia crisis rap- idly merged into what was now a pair of maritime crises competing for resources. While pilots and tugs were dispatched to Benicia, VTS talked to the captains of the moored ships. As the fire blazed out of control, VTS realized the ships’ captains and crews might have to cut the mooring lines and move their ships without a pilot. In the end, San Francisco Bar Pilots and tugboats, with the help of firefighters as line handlers, safely evacuated the three ships from the port. Normal Operations While not every weekend is as out of the ordinary as the one in April 2022, VTS San Francisco consistently safe- guards the integrity of the MTS. This includes the San Francisco Bay region’s sailing vessels and nearly 1,000 permitted marine events within the VTS area every year. Sector San Francisco is also one of the busiest sectors for search and rescue (SAR) cases, and professional mari- ners aboard VTS participants are often called on as SAR force multipliers. Upon hearing a call for help over the radio, VTS San Francisco watchstanders quickly scan the area for VTS participants in the vicinity to render aid. When a fishing vessel began taking on water offshore, VTS contacted a vessel nearby to render assistance. This allowed the crew on the fishing vessel to focus on dewatering efforts in time for Coast Guard Station Golden Gate to arrive on scene to tow the vessel safely back to port. Conclusion marine transportation system. The civilian and active-duty workforce at VTS San Francisco is the steady force that maintains the safety and integrity of the MTS in the San Francisco Bay Area. While not every weekend is this busy in the VTS Operations Center, the diligence, expertise, and respon- siveness of VTS personnel averted loss of lives, cata- strophic environmental damage, and extensive property damage while maintaining the integrity of a $70 billion About the authors Frederick Scott Humphrey has 39 years with the U.S. Coast Guard. More than thirty of those years are in Vessel Traffic Service operations and training management in the San Francisco Bay region. He holds an VTS certification issued by the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities. LCDR Alexandra Miller is the Chief, Waterways Management Division at Sector San Francisco. She earned a Master of Science in fire protec- tion engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a Master of Arts in defense and strategic studies from the Naval War College. Pre- vious assignments include CGC Thetis, Sector Jacksonville, and Coast Guard Headquarters Office of Design and Engineering Standards. She is a licensed professional engineer. Endnotes: 1. Proceedings of the Marine Safety Council, November 1971, Vol. 28 No. 11 2. Transportation Safety Board and United States Coast Guard Marine Casualty Report, “Collision Involving the SS Arizona Standard and SS Oregon Standard at the Entrance to San Francisco Bay on January 18, 1971” pg. 13 3. Ibid 4. Ibid 5. Ibid 6. Ibid 7. United States Coast Guard Harbor Advisory Radar Operating Manual 8. National Transportation Safety Board and United States Coast Guard Marine Casualty Report, “Collision Involving the SS Arizona Standard and SS Oregon Standard at the Entrance to San Francisco Bay on January 18, 1971” pg. 19. 9. Proceedings of the Marine Safety Council, November 1971, Vol. 28 No. 11 10. Pub. L. 92–63, §2, August 4, 1971, 85 Stat. 164 11. Pub. L. 92-340, July 10, 1972 Summer 2023 Proceedings 19