The Waterways management branch is responsible for the following in Alaska:
- 74 Federal waterways
- Over 1,500 Federal aids to navigation (ATON)
- Vessel traffic service operations in Prince William Sound
- Bridge permitting - For questions regarding bridge permitting, contact Mr. Scott at Clinton.L.Scott@uscg.mil
- Private aids to navigation (PATON) permitting
- Publishing marine safety information (MSI) accessible via U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center: Home | Navigation Center
- Eight Coast Guard ATON units (six ships and two aids to navigation teams)
Notices
Alaska – Farewell to traditional nautical charts
NOAA has ended the production of traditional paper charts for Alaskan waters. Traditional paper nautical chart production was ended to enable the creation and maintenance of larger scale, more up-to-date, higher quality coverage of NOAA’s electronic navigational chart (NOAA ENC®) product. This will significantly enhance the amount of charted detail available to mariners. For more information visit NOAA’s website: https://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/charts/farewell-to-traditional-nautical-charts.html
An online NOAA Custom Chart application at: https://devgis.charttools.noaa.gov/pod is available to create chart images from ENC data, which may then be printed. Notices to Mariners will not be issued for NOAA Custom Charts. However, they will be up-to-date at the time of their creation.
Broadcast Notice to Mariners (BNM)
The U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center (NAVCEN) provides the text of Broadcast Notice to Mariners (BNM) to mariners via e-mail. The online subscription service is in addition to the standard BNM broadcasts over VHF radio that previously were the only way to receive this vital navigational information. Mariners can now use the subscription service to plan for underway periods and receive updates to navigational hazards in near real time without having to wait on scheduled VHF broadcasts. Mariners who operate in Alaska and desire email delivery of BNMs should visit the NAVCEN website and subscribe for e-mail delivery of BNMs click here.
BNMs are organized by Coast Guard Sector and mariners can subscribe to either or both Coast Guard Sectors within the 17th District area:
Sector Southeast Alaska – the Southeastern portion of the Gulf of Alaska East of 142°W Longitude and the Alexander Archipelago, also known as the panhandle.
Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic – the Gulf of Alaska West of 142°W Longitude, the Aleutian Islands, Bering Sea/Strait, and the Alaskan Arctic.
Additionally, NAVCEN has developed an online BNM archive that is highly filterable and available to the public. 17th District BNMs can be viewed and downloaded from the NAVCEN database click here. For any questions regarding these new services in the 17th District, please contact Todd Buck with the Coast Guard District 17 office of Waterways Management at (907) 463-2269 or todd.r.buck@uscg.mil.
Legacy Local Notice to Mariners (LNM) replaced with NAVCEN Web Application
The legacy Local Notices to Mariners (LNM) has been the official means by which the Coast Guard disseminates navigation information for the United States, its territories, and possessions. A legacy LNM was issued by each Coast Guard district and was used to report changes and discrepancies to aids to navigation maintained by and under the authority of the Coast Guard. Legacy LMNs contain other marine information such as channel depths, naval operations, regattas, etc., which may affect vessels and waterways within the jurisdiction of each Coast Guard district. Reports of channel conditions, obstructions, menaces to navigation, danger areas, new chart editions, etc., were also included in the legacy LNM. These notices are essential to all navigators for the purposes of keeping their charts, Lights Lists, Coast Pilots and other nautical publications up-to-date. These notices were published as often as required, but usually weekly.
The Legacy LNM has been replaced with a Web-Application that can be found here on the Coast Guard NAVCEN website. This new application is graphically based and allows mariners to view their area of interest or planned route and readily determine if any Marine Safety Information (MSI) may affect their planned transit. This application provides a number of improvements over the legacy LNM. MSI is represented graphically as an icon in the pertinent location or as a polygon with a pull-down box for a textual description of whatever the issue might be (ATON discrepancy, dredging, hazard, marine event, ETC). MSI are available on the APP within 30 minutes of data entry. Currently MSI in D17 are entered during the workday, Monday through Friday. Once this new system has been fully implemented MSI will be entered 24/7 which will make the APP as close to real-time as possible.
How to use the NAVCEN APP:
The APP is fairly intuitive. However, there are a few things to keep in mind to use it more effectively. When you initially open the APP (this requires connectivity through the internet), it will open to a base map under the heading “Maritime Safety Information Products.” NOTE: It opens without any data layers to minimize required bandwidth. Drag the map and zoom to the area that you are interested in. In the upper right corner of the base map is a ‘Layers’ icon that allows you to select which layers (or types of MSI) that you want to include on the base map. Typically, you will select the “Load all LNM Layers” box but if you have limited bandwidth you can select the individual layers you are interested in. You can make additional selections at any time while you are in the APP. NOTE: Once a layer has been loaded onto your base map it is not updated. This means that if any MSI is added after you have opened a layer you will not be able to see that MSI. In order to update your base map you simply refresh your web browser which will return the base map to it’s original extent and then add any layers you want to view.
MSI can also be viewed/printed:
To print the entire D17 LNM select the “Print LNM & L/L” command at the top of the map. To print a particular area of interest drag/zoom the base map to the area you’re are interested in and select the “Data to Table” command on the left side of the map. Once the table has been generated it will display at the bottom of the map with different categories that are user selectable. To print this table select the “Print Table(s)” command on the left side of the map.
NOTE: MSIs viewed as text are attached to a waterway. Some waterways are not intuitive and a MSI of interest to you may actually be listed under a waterway other than the waterway you are looking at. The best way to ensure you are aware of all MSI in an area is to view MSI graphically on the base map.
The NAVCEN is also publishing each week a document similar to the legacy LNM that has MSI listed by the waterway to which they were assigned. Click here to obtain a copy of the weekly District 17 Local Notice to Mariners (LNM) via the U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center website. Vessels operating in ports and waterways in several districts will have to obtain the Local Notice to Mariners from each district in order to be fully informed.
Questions/concerns about Marine Safety Information covering the 17th Coast Guard District (Alaska) should be directed to the CGD17 Marine Information Specialist:
Todd Buck
907-463-2269 (Desk)
571-607-5371 (Teams)
Todd.r.buck@uscg.mil
Cancellation of NOAA Paper and Raster Nautical Charts
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is undertaking a multi-year program to end production and maintenance of its suite of over 1,000 traditional paper nautical charts and all associated raster chart products and services, including: Print-on-Demand (POD) paper nautical charts, Full-size chart PDF files, BookletChart™ PDF files, NOAA raster navigational charts (NOAA RNC®), the NOAA RNC tile service, and the online RNC viewer. Six months notice of the intent to cancel a specific chart is provided in a “Last Edition” notice. The final cancellation of a chart is made in a “Canceled” notice. Both types of notices will appear in LNM Section IV, “Chart Correction.” A comprehensive list of all canceled NOAA charts is available at: http://www.charts.noaa.gov/MCD/Dole.shtml. Traditional paper nautical chart production is ending to enable the creation and maintenance of larger scale, more up-to-date, higher quality coverage of NOAA’s electronic navigational chart (NOAA ENC®) product. This will significantly enhance the amount of charted detail available to mariners. More information about NOAA’s program to sunset traditional paper charts is on the NOAA Coast Survey website at: https://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/charts/farewell-to-traditional-nautical-charts.html. An online NOAA Custom Chart application at: https://devgis.charttools.noaa.gov/pod is available to create chart images from ENC data, which may then be printed. Notices to Mariners will not be issued for NOAA Custom Charts.
Marine Events in Alaska
Holding a Marine Event? As stated in 33 CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) Part 100 (33 CFR 100), an individual or organization planning to hold a regatta or marine parade which, by its nature, circumstances, or location, introduces any extra or unusual hazard to the safety of life on the navigable waters of the United States, must have the event approved by the cognizant Coast Guard authority. Sponsors of these events must contact their nearest Sector Waterways Management Division to submit an Application for Approval of Marine Events in accordance with 33 CFR 100.
Sector Western Alaska-US Arctic Waterways Management Division
E-mail: d17-sectoranchorageprevention-waterwaysmanagement@uscg.onmicrosoft.com
Sector Southeast Alaska Waterways Management Division
Email: SectorSeakprevention@uscg.mil
Valdez Waterways Management Division
E-mail: D17-SMB-ValdezPrevention@uscg.mil
PATON
PATON is a buoy, light, or day beacon owned and maintained by any individual or organization other than the United States Coast Guard. Private aids to navigation are designed to allow individuals or organizations to mark privately owned marine obstructions or other similar hazards to navigation, or to assist their own navigation operations.
You can find the application form CG-2554 here.
For questions about private aids to navigation in this section or to submit an application, contact the PATON manager at: JuneauDPW@Outlook.Com
Report discrepancies with marine aids to navigation to the nearest Coast Guard Sector office!
Sector Western Alaska-US Arctic (907) 428-4100
E-mail: D17-PF-ANC-Sector-Watch@uscg.mil
Sector Southeast Alaska (907) 463-2991
E-mail: SCCJuneau@uscg.mil