Shipping Fairways, Lanes, and Zones for US waters
Data Set (DS) | Office of Coast Survey (OCS)GUID: gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:39986 | Updated: October 17, 2023 | Published / External
Summary
Short Citation
Office of Coast Survey, 2025: Shipping Fairways, Lanes, and Zones for US waters, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/39986.
Full Citation Examples
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.
Distribution Information
-
Shapefile
Downloadable Data
None
These data are intended for coastal and ocean use planning. Not for navigation.
Controlled Theme Keywords
boundaries, environment, oceans, transportation
Child Items
| Type | Title |
|---|---|
| Entity | Shipping Fairways Lanes and Zones |
Contact Information
Point of Contact
Patrick Keown
patrick.keown@noaa.gov
240-533-0031
Metadata Contact
Patrick Keown
patrick.keown@noaa.gov
240-533-0031
Extents
-179.46° W,
174.6° E,
60.98° N,
9.31° S
2001-07-11 - Present
Item Identification
| Title: | Shipping Fairways, Lanes, and Zones for US waters |
|---|---|
| Short Name: | ship_fways_lanes_zones_us_waters |
| Status: | Completed |
| Publication Date: | 2015-12-04 |
| Abstract: |
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. |
| Purpose: |
To support coastal and ocean planning and other activities pursuant to the Energy Policy Act, Coastal Zone Management Act, Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Rivers and Harbors Act and the Submerged Lands Act. |
| Notes: |
1544 |
Keywords
Theme Keywords
| Thesaurus | Keyword |
|---|---|
| ISO 19115 Topic Category |
boundaries
|
| ISO 19115 Topic Category |
environment
|
| ISO 19115 Topic Category |
oceans
|
| ISO 19115 Topic Category |
transportation
|
| UNCONTROLLED | |
| NOS Data Explorer Topic Category | Marine Boundaries |
| NOS Data Explorer Topic Category | Socioeconomics |
| None | Area to be Avoided |
| None | Mandatory Ship Reporting |
| None | Marine Boundaries |
| None | Northern Right Whale |
| None | Particularly Sensitive Sea Area |
| None | Ports |
| None | Precautionary Area |
| None | Recommended Routes |
| None | Regulation |
| None | Restricted Area |
| None | Separation Zone |
| None | Shipping |
| None | Shipping Safety Fairway |
| None | Traffic Lane |
| None | U.S. Waters |
Spatial Keywords
| Thesaurus | Keyword |
|---|---|
| UNCONTROLLED | |
| None | Atlantic |
| None | Gulf of Mexico |
| None | National |
| None | Pacific |
| None | United States |
Physical Location
| Organization: | Office of Coast Survey |
|---|---|
| City: | Silver Spring |
| State/Province: | MD |
Data Set Information
| Data Set Scope Code: | Data Set |
|---|---|
| Maintenance Frequency: | Weekly |
| Distribution Liability: |
Not for navigation. |
Support Roles
Data Steward
| Date Effective From: | 2018-12-10 |
|---|---|
| Date Effective To: | |
| Contact (Person): | Keown, Patrick |
| Address: |
1315 East West Hwy Silver Spring, MD 20910-3282 |
| Email Address: | patrick.keown@noaa.gov |
| Phone: | 240-533-0031 |
Distributor
| Date Effective From: | 2018-12-10 |
|---|---|
| Date Effective To: | |
| Contact (Organization): | Office of Coast Survey (OCS) |
| Address: |
1315 East West Highway Silver Spring, MD 20910 |
| URL: | https://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/ |
Metadata Contact
| Date Effective From: | 2018-12-10 |
|---|---|
| Date Effective To: | |
| Contact (Person): | Keown, Patrick |
| Address: |
1315 East West Hwy Silver Spring, MD 20910-3282 |
| Email Address: | patrick.keown@noaa.gov |
| Phone: | 240-533-0031 |
Point of Contact
| Date Effective From: | 2018-12-10 |
|---|---|
| Date Effective To: | |
| Contact (Person): | Keown, Patrick |
| Address: |
1315 East West Hwy Silver Spring, MD 20910-3282 |
| Email Address: | patrick.keown@noaa.gov |
| Phone: | 240-533-0031 |
Extents
| Currentness Reference: | Ground Condition |
|---|
Extent Group 1
Extent Group 1 / Geographic Area 1
| W° Bound: | -179.46 | |
|---|---|---|
| E° Bound: | 174.6 | |
| N° Bound: | 60.98 | |
| S° Bound: | 9.31 |
Extent Group 1 / Time Frame 1
| Time Frame Type: | Continuing |
|---|---|
| Start: | 2001-07-11 |
Spatial Information
Spatial Representation
Representations Used
| Vector: | Yes |
|---|
Access Information
| Security Class: | Unclassified |
|---|---|
| Data Access Constraints: |
None |
| Data Use Constraints: |
These data are intended for coastal and ocean use planning. Not for navigation. |
Distribution Information
Distribution 1
| Download URL: | http://encdirect.noaa.gov/theme_layers/data/shipping_lanes/shippinglanes.zip |
|---|---|
| Distributor: | Office of Coast Survey (OCS) (2018-12-10 - Present) |
| Description: |
Downloadable Data |
| File Type (Deprecated): | ESRI Shape |
| Distribution Format: | Shapefile |
URLs
URL 1
| URL: | https://encdirect.noaa.gov/arcgis/rest/services/NavigationChartData/MarineTransportation/MapServer |
|---|---|
| URL Type: |
Online Resource
|
| Description: |
REST service link 1 |
URL 2
| URL: | https://encdirect.noaa.gov/arcgis/rest/services/NavigationChartData/MarineTransportation/MapServer/0 |
|---|---|
| URL Type: |
Online Resource
|
| Description: |
REST service link 2 |
Activity Log
Activity Log 1
| Activity Date/Time: | 2016-01-29 |
|---|---|
| Description: |
Date that the source FGDC record was last modified. |
Activity Log 2
| Activity Date/Time: | 2017-04-05 |
|---|---|
| Description: |
Converted from FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (version FGDC-STD-001-1998) using 'fgdc_to_inport_xml.pl' script. Contact Tyler Christensen (NOS) for details. |
Activity Log 3
| Activity Date/Time: | 2017-09-13 |
|---|---|
| Description: |
Partial upload of Spatial Info section only. |
Activity Log 4
| Activity Date/Time: | 2018-02-08 |
|---|---|
| Description: |
Partial upload of Positional Accuracy fields only. |
Data Quality
| Accuracy: |
Shipping Lanes in U.S. waters is derived from NOAA ENC's which conforms to the International Hydrographic Organization Transfer Standard for Digital Hydrographic Data, Special Publication S-57, ENC Product Specification Edition 2.0. |
|---|---|
| Horizontal Positional Accuracy: |
Maximum scale of intended use is 1:80,000. |
| Completeness Report: |
Shipping Lanes in U.S. waters represents current coverage of all ENC Charts. The NOAA ENC Chart Suite is not scheduled to be completed until 2015. As new NOAA ENCs and NOAA ENC editions are created they will be added to the NOAA ENC Direct to GIS data on the first of every month. |
| Conceptual Consistency: |
Shipping Lanes in U.S. waters data is derived from NOAA ENC's which conforms to the International Hydrographic Organization Transfer Standard for Digital Hydrographic Data, Special Publication S-57, ENC Product Specification Edition 2.0. NOAA ENC Direct to GIS data has added generalized nautical chart symbology to aid in the visualization of this data. |
Lineage
Process Steps
Process Step 1
| Description: |
The NOAA ENC database has been built from a combination of charted information as well as original "source" information. NOAA has compiled critical features such as channel limits, aids to navigation, and obstructions from the original documents that were used to put the feature on the paper chart. The objective is to use the most accurate information for features that are critical to the safety of navigation. NOAA uses a number of sources in compiling NOAA ENCS including U.S. Army Corps of Engineers surveys, drawings, and permits, U.S. Coast Guard Local Notices to Mariner, National Imagery and Mapping Agency Notices to Mariners, NOAA hydrographic surveys, and the largest scale paper chart of an area. |
|---|---|
| Process Date/Time: | 2015-02-01 00:00:00 |
Child Items
Rubric scores updated every 15m
|
Type | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Entity | Shipping Fairways Lanes and Zones |
Catalog Details
| Catalog Item ID: | 39986 |
|---|---|
| GUID: | gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:39986 |
| Metadata Record Created By: | Tyler Christensen |
| Metadata Record Created: | 2017-04-05 13:49+0000 |
| Metadata Record Last Modified By: | SysAdmin InPortAdmin |
| Metadata Record Last Modified: | 2023-10-17 16:12+0000 |
| Metadata Record Published: | 2018-12-14 |
| Owner Org: | OCS |
| Metadata Publication Status: | Published Externally |
| Do Not Publish?: | N |
| Metadata Last Review Date: | 2018-12-14 |
| Metadata Review Frequency: | 1 Year |
| Metadata Next Review Date: | 2019-12-14 |