Aids To Navigation
Aid to Navigation above Arctic Circle
Four Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team Kodiak personnel completed a build of the 15-ft Coast Guard aid to navigation tower four miles south of Point Hope August 2, which is the only permanent Coast Guard aid to navigation tower north of the Arctic Circle. In January 2009, a waterways analysis and management review was conducted on the North Slope. The WAMS identified local interest to enhance safety for the subsistence users and value to maritime traffic in the area. The proposal to re-establish ATON in Point Hope was approved. While the Coast Guard regulates private aids to navigation on the North Slope, the Point Hope Light will establish a permanent federally maintained aid to navigation above the Arctic Circle. The Point Hope Light will enhance the Coast Guard’s presence in the arctic region and our commitment to safe navigation throughout Alaska. A proposal to establish a seasonal aid to navigation was submitted and approved by the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Lighthouses in December 1923. The following summer the aid was mounted on a small white oil house four feet square by six feet high. The light was maintained from August 1st to May 1st. It was not needed in the summer due to continuous daylight. The light was to assist coastal navigation in late summer and early fall and to assist sled travelers in the winter.
USCG Waterways Analysis Meeting for South Louisiana
The Coast Guard will host a public meeting on Aug. 6 at the Greater La Fourche Port Commission office in Galliano, La., at 6 p.m. regarding a Waterways Analysis and Management System (WAMS) review of district waterways. Chief Petty Officer Randy Ryan, officer in charge of Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team Dulac, La., will conduct a WAMS review of Bayou La Fourche, Belle Pass, Southwest Louisiana Canal, and Caminada Bay
Digital Tech Boosts Shanghai's Navigation System
According to reports, the International Marine Aids to Navigation Exhibition opened yesterday in Shanghai. Automatic Identification System (AIS) response, one of the most advanced digital aids to navigation, was launched to help build an expressway for ships to sail faster and safer to port. Aids to navigation, termed the ears and eyes of ships, help sailors to know their position at sea. Shanghai port built its first aid to navigation, the Sheshan Mountain lighthouse, in 1871
Northwest Cutter Takes First at Buoy Tender Roundup
The Coast Guard Cutter Bluebell, a 100-ft. Inland Buoy Tender homeported in Portland, Ore., has won the Golden Swivel Award at this year's West Coast Aids to Navigation Conference May 15 though Friday. Also known as the Buoy Tender Roundup, the conference hosts all Coast Guard aids to navigation cutters and aids to navigation teams from the West Coast and alternates between California and the Pacific Northwest. This year's conference was located in Everett, Wash
Cutter to Return to Mobile
The Coast Guard Cutter Cypress is scheduled to return to Coast Guard Base Mobile, Ala., Thursday at about 1 p.m. The crew of Cypress deployed to Haiti Feb. 26 in support of Operation Able Sentry, the U.S. government's response to increased migration from Haiti, following Haiti's domestic unrest. While deployed, the crew took part in a variety of missions, including: alien migrant interdiction; law enforcement; aids to navigation; assisting the Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team
Annual Great Lakes & Seaway Aids to Navigation Retrieval Starts
The Ninth Coast Guard District begins its annual retrieval of the Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Seaway System seasonal aids to navigation before ice forms. In a massive task Operation Fall Retrieve, which includes lighted and unlighted buoys and beacons has begun, with a goal of retrieving 1,282 navigational aids, and should be completed by Dec. 28, 2012. The aids, approximately half in the region, are taken out of service during the winter months due to decreased vessel traffic and
USCG Conducts Study of Willapa Bay
The Coast Guard is conducting a Waterways Analysis and Management System (WAMS) study of Willapa Bay,Wash.The purpose of the WAMS is to validate the adequacy of the existing aids to navigation (ATON) system. WAMS focuses on the waterway’s present ATON system, marine casualty information, port/harbor resources, changes in marine vessel usage (both recreational and commercial), and future development projects. All comments are welcome until March 1, 2003
Photo: CG Patrols the Super Bowl
Crewmembers from Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team St. Petersburg, Fla., patrol a security zone in the Garrison Channel near the Tampa Convention Center Jan. 29. Crews from more than 10 federal and local law-enforcement agencies patrolled the security zone to ensure safety for the Super Bowl XLIII. (U.S. Coast Guard photo/PA3 Rob Simpson)
Hong Kong Emergency Wreck Buoy
The Hong Kong Marine Department issued a notice stating that, effective immediately, it will mark new dangerous wrecks in Hong Kong waters with the Emergency Wreck Marking Buoy recommended by the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA). Notice No. 173 of 2009 (12/17/09). (Source: Bryant’s Maritime News)
Bow Thruster Repaired Fast by Great Lakes Shipyard
Great Lakes Shipyard, Cleveland, Ohio, performs emergency repairs on USCG Aids to Navigation barge. United States Coast Guard Cutter Mobile Bay of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin departs Great Lakes Shipyard, Cleveland, Ohio after completion of drydocking and repairs to the bow thruster on it 120-foot Aids to Navigation Barge. The barge was hauled out on Monday, September 17th using the Shipyard’s 770-ton Marine Travelift
Ashtead Technology Increase Subsea Equipment Rental Stock
Ashtead Technology announce at the U.K.'s Ocean Business 2013 expo that it has purchased Sonardyne 6G acoustic positioning equipment value £1.3 million. This latest acquisition is the second significant order placed by the company for 6G in the last 12 months
Keeper of New York Harbor's Spring Ritual
As the Hudson River begins to melt the Coast Guard buoy tender 'Katherine Walker' heads north towards Albany, N.Y. The Katherine Walker is a 175-foot buoy tender, homeported in Bayonne, N.J. Its major mission includes the servicing of aids to navigation throughout New York Harbor
Subsea SE Alaska: Seismic Sensors Deployed
The US Coast Guard Cutter 'Maple' helps the U.S. Geological Survey to deploy 12 seismic sensors along the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather Fault, northwest of Craig, Alaska. The team placed the ocean-bottom seismometers along a 28-mile section of the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather Fault to improve
Tideland AIS buoys for Fujairah Port
The port of Fujairah has installed eight Tideland SB-285P lateral mark buoys equipped with SolaNOVA-65 self-contained LED lanterns and AIS AtoN (aids to navigation) systems to communicate with vessels in the vicinity. The buoys are deployed north of the port and mark a new passage where the
Tideline Signal to Supply Offshore Platform Light Stations
Aibel AS of Norway chooses Tideland Signal to supply Syncrolan LED light stations for the new Gudrun North Sea development. The Tideland LED warning systems to be installed on the Gudrun platform comprise a main Syncrolan light station with a range of 15 NM, two subsidiary lights, battery banks
IALA Holds Australian Training Seminars
The International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation & Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) in Australian training mission. International representatives tasked with maintaining the world’s aids to navigation will be in Australia for two weeks for training and discussions aimed at
U.S., Canadian Coast Guards: Operation Coal Shovel
The U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards have commenced Operation Coal Shovel, seasonal domestic ice breaking operations in the southern part of Lake Huron, Lake St. Clair, the St. Clair and Detroit River systems, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, starting Thursday, Jan. 3.
North P&I Club Publishes New Bridge Guide
The ‘A’ rated 170 million GT North P&I club has just published a new loss-prevention guide for watchkeepers on how to avoid collisions at sea. Designed specifically for use on ship’s bridges, it focuses on what the club considers to be the most important ‘rules
'Rule of the Road' Bridge Prompts
North P&I Club publish a new loss prevention guide for watchkeepers on how to avoid collisions at sea. Designed specifically for use on ship's bridges, the guide focuses on what the Club considers to be the most important ‘rules of the road' in the International Regulations for
Arctic Nautical Charts: NOAA Plans Updates
Less sea ice and more ship traffic means new charts needed for safety. NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey has issued an updated Arctic Nautical Charting Plan , as a major effort to improve inadequate chart coverage for Arctic areas experiencing increasing vessel traffic due to ice diminishment.
Sequestration to Hit Maritime Economy, Affect Coast Guard
Coast Guard & Maritime Transportation ranking member Garamendi warns resources will be severely slashed, significantly hampering maritime commerce. During the House Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee hearing yesterday
NOAA’s Coast Survey Plans for New Arctic Nautical Charts
Less sea ice and more ship traffic means new charts needed for safety. NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey has issued an updated Arctic Nautical Charting Plan, as a major effort to improve inadequate chart coverage for Arctic areas experiencing increasing vessel traffic due to ice diminishment
China Plan 2020 World Satnav Coverage
China's navigation system BeiDou (with 16 satellites up at present) is expected to achieve full-scale global coverage by around 2020. The BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) will then be able to provide highly accurate and reliable positioning
Canada Aims for 'World-class' Tankship Safety System
Canada acts to upgrade its safety system for shipping oil & liquefied natural gas safely through Canada’s waterways before any major new energy export facilities become operational. The Government introduce eight measures to strengthen Canada's tanker safety system:
Singapore & Malacca Straits Aids to Navigation Meetings
Singapore to chair the Aids to Navigation Fund (ANF) Committee from 2013 to 2015, & hosts the 10th Meeting of the ANF Committee. The ANF, one of the three pillars under the Co-operative Mechanism on Safety of Navigation and Environmental Protection in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore