Washington, April 24 (IANS): The US Defence Department Wednesday hailed the maritime guidelines adopted by naval leaders at the Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS) in China.

"The Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea -- we call them CUES -- offers guidelines for maritime encounters at sea," Xinhua quoted Pentagon spokesperson Steven Warren as saying at a press briefing.

"It offers safety procedures, basic communications plans and basic maneuvering instructions for naval ships and naval aircraft during unplanned encounters at sea," he said.

Warren said the defence department supports a shared understanding of procedures during encounters, which can reduce the potential of an unintended incident at sea.

"We fully support efforts to standardise maritime conduct and improve operational safety at sea," he said.

"This is a great step towards improving operational safety at sea

"It's a positive development that should help reduce the risk of misunderstandings between navy vessels and aircraft operating in a region," he added.

The guidelines demonstrate the effectiveness of dialogue, transparency and multilateral approaches to dealing with 21st century challenges, he added.

WPNS member states Tuesday endorsed the CUES in east China's port city Qingdao. Based on international legal and navigation principles, CUES provides participants with a tactical maneuvering and signal manual to reduce interference and uncertainties during naval ship and aircraft encounters.

The WPNS was established in 1987 with the goals to promote pragmatic cooperation between the navies of its member countries, strengthen mutual understanding and trust, and jointly safeguard regional maritime security. It comprises navies whose countries border the Pacific Ocean region.