Date: 201707
Local time of day: 1801-2400
Location: TPA.Airport, FL
Light: Daylight
Aircraft: Large Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng
Operator: Air Carrier
Operating under: Part 121
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Passenger
Flight phase: Taxi
ATC / advisory: Ramp TPA
Reporter organization: Air Carrier
Reporter function: Captain; Pilot Flying
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Anomaly: Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Detector: Person Flight Crew
When detected: Taxi
Result: Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Contributing factors: Airport; Manuals
Primary problem: Ambiguous

Narrative: TPA has new nonstandard Safety Zone markings that can cause confusion and somewhat of a visual illusion. Instead of the standard V shaped Safety Zone; the TPA Safety Zones have squared off indentations in the leading edge area. As we entered the Safety Zone; I looked over at the fuel cart as usual and observed that it appeared to be outside of the yellow markings that defines the approved area for the fuel cart. It also appeared to be in a different general location than I am accustomed to seeing (seemed to be much farther outboard towards the winglet). We were in an aircraft with scimitar winglets which always increases my level of concern with Safety Zone intrusions. I stopped the aircraft and asked Operations to have the Ramp move the fuel cart clear of the Safety Zone. After that was done we completed parking. I went down to the ramp to speak with the Ramp Supervisor and get a better perspective of the location of the cart. TPA does have the new fuel cart markings; however these new markings are confusing. They are not a complete box as they have been in the past. They are an L-Shaped segmented line that starts and the leading edge of the Safety Zone and then turn outboard for a few feet (roughly the width of the standard fuel cart). In this situation the fuel cart was actually positioned outboard of the end of the short segment which puts it outside of the area that the yellow markings appear to define. I can't determine if the yellow markings are supposed to be interpreted to continue out the edge of the Safety Zone; in which case they should be painted that way; or if the end of the line is the end of the allowed area for ground equipment. Ramp Supervisor advised that TPA airport authority had repainted the Safety Zones and that TPA Company Management was not happy with many aspects of the new markings.Information regarding nonstandard Safety Zone markings and changes in Safety Zone markings as well as airport specific nonstandard markings should be communicated to flight crews in order to minimize risk and avoid confusion.

Callback: Determined from reporter that the new safety zone markings have been observed at other airports. Reporter assumes that the change has been required to accommodate larger aircraft and all required ground equipment (fueling carts; baggage carts; etc.) inside the safety zones. Reporter has submitted suggestions via his company's flight operations department to ensure more detailed instructions to flight crews about the changes.



Synopsis: Air carrier Captain reported new nonstandard safety zone markings on the ramp at TPA airport. Callback indicated that other airports have the reconfigured safety zone markings. Captain recommended to company flight operations that all manuals be updated to reflect the changes.