Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Skip to content
  • Feedback

    • Shipping Fairways, Lanes, and Zones for US waters

    Metadata Updated: March 13, 2024

    Various shipping zones delineate activities and regulations for marine vessel traffic. Traffic lanes define specific traffic flow, while traffic separation zones assist opposing streams of marine traffic. Precautionary areas represent areas where ships must navigate with caution, and shipping safety fairways designate where artificial structures are prohibited. Recommended Routes are predetermined routes for shipping adopted for reasons of safety. Along certain zones of the East Coast of the United States, ships are required to reduce speeds to 10 knots or less over ground during seasonal periods within designated endangered species areas, such as the North Atlantic Right Whales. Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas need special protection because of their vulnerability to damage by international maritime activities. Areas to be avoided are within defined limits where navigation is particularly hazardous or it is exceptionally important to avoid casualties and should be avoided by all ships or certain classes of ships.

    Access & Use Information

    License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

    Downloads & Resources

    Dates

    Metadata Date February 29, 2024
    Metadata Created Date November 12, 2020
    Metadata Updated Date March 13, 2024
    Reference Date(s) December 4, 2015 (publication)
    Frequency Of Update weekly

    Metadata Source

    Harvested from NOS OCS

    Other Data Resources

    Additional Metadata

    Resource Type Dataset
    Metadata Date February 29, 2024
    Metadata Created Date November 12, 2020
    Metadata Updated Date March 13, 2024
    Reference Date(s) December 4, 2015 (publication)
    Responsible Party (Point of Contact, Custodian)
    Contact Email
    Guid gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:39986
    Category Tag 16E15F51 D96E 4051 9124 75665Abdc6Ff ["Transportation","Transportation Network"]
    Access Constraints Cite As: Office of Coast Survey, [Date of Access]: Shipping Fairways, Lanes, and Zones for US waters [Data Date Range], https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/39986., Access Constraints: None, Use Constraints: These data are intended for coastal and ocean use planning. Not for navigation., Distribution Liability: Not for navigation.
    Bbox East Long 174.6
    Bbox North Lat 60.98
    Bbox South Lat 9.31
    Bbox West Long -179.46
    Coupled Resource
    Frequency Of Update weekly
    Harvest Object Id dac6a9d6-402c-4006-80fd-a54e35fb5956
    Harvest Source Id b7024f56-a531-4a4f-b381-12ebd50fe703
    Harvest Source Title NOS OCS
    Licence NOAA provides no warranty, nor accepts any liability occurring from any incomplete, incorrect, or misleading data, or from any incorrect, incomplete, or misleading use of the data. It is the responsibility of the user to determine whether or not the data is suitable for the intended purpose.
    Lineage
    Metadata Language eng
    Metadata Type geospatial
    Old Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-179.46, 9.31], [174.6, 9.31], [174.6, 60.98], [-179.46, 60.98], [-179.46, 9.31]]]}
    Progress completed
    Spatial Data Service Type
    Spatial Reference System
    Spatial Harvester True
    Temporal Extent Begin 2001-07-11

    Didn't find what you're looking for? Suggest a dataset here.