Some publicity has recently been given to a new plan proposed by Trinity House and the Honourable Company of Master Mariners for the separation of traffic in the Dover Strait. This would reverse the direction of flow established by Imco in 1967 according to which the main streams of traffic between the Channel and the North Sea keep to the right.

The authors of the scheme suggest that the number of collisions in the Sandettié-West Hinder area has increased dangerously since 1967 because of an unforeseen increase in the size, draught and speed of ships. Their aim is to prevent, in this area, crossings between traffic coming out of the Scheldt and traffic bound for Rotterdam, Germany, Scandinavia and the Baltic.