The paper discusses the measure of control to be exercised by the Port Authority in a Port Entrance Area where shore radar enables tracks to be made of all ships present. The problem becomes acute where great numbers of ships are trying to enter and leave in restricted visibility, creating danger and confusion.

In a previous paper presented at the conference, Commandant R. Betton, Captain of the Port of Le Havre, suggested that it was perfectly possible for shore-based guidance radars to be used to reduce collision risks at the entrances to harbours, provided this supplementary function is precisely denned in terms of how much authority harbour administrations can exercise over ships outside the harbour. Betton stipulated that any control should only be exercised by experienced seamen and that they should not have the right to interfere in manœuvres for which masters should have sole responsibility.