"The VTS operators, just like air traffic controllers, they're doing a very similar job. But unlike air traffic controllers, you may not have noticed them as clearly. If you've ever driven toward Bay Bridge, look up just above the tunnel, that's the vessel traffic service."
"You're not seeing big lines waiting in the port and not seeing backups because the folks at the VTS, Vessel Traffic Service, are going to work but they're not being paid. While most people never see them, VTS operators are watching everything that moves on the water, from fuel shipments and agriculture barges to passenger ferries carrying thousands of commuters."
"Twelve-hour shift, they're on duty. Well, the operation runs 24 hours a day as I understand, they haven't been paid in about 3, maybe 4 weeks. Even though the public may not notice any disruption, the toll behind the scenes is real."
The partial Department of Homeland Security shutdown impacts Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) operators in San Francisco Bay who monitor all maritime activity but remain unpaid for three to four weeks. These workers perform duties similar to air traffic controllers, overseeing fuel shipments, barges, and passenger ferries carrying thousands of commuters daily. Located above the Bay Bridge tunnel, VTS operators work twelve-hour shifts in a 24-hour operation that the public rarely notices. Despite the lack of visible disruption, the shutdown takes a significant toll on these essential workers who maintain critical water safety without compensation.
Read at ABC7 San Francisco
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