The recent developments at the Gironde-estuary have aroused great interest and, particularly in ports where radar installations covering the approaches are in operation today, the question arises whether the adoption of some such scheme would be feasible and advantageous.

Considerable experience with shore—based radar assistance had been gained over the years, but so far information only has been supplied and never advice. It was reasoned that only the men on the spot—master and pilot on the bridge—can decide what is to be done; advice from the shore, given without proper knowledge of what goes on on board, has been looked upon as dangerous.