Pilot Boarding Areas
Data Set (DS) | Office for Coastal Management (OCM)GUID: gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:54393 | Updated: July 6, 2026 | Published / External
-
View As
- Full List View
- EXPORTS
- InPort XML
- ISO 19115
- WAF Files
- View in Hierarchy
Summary
Short Citation
Office for Coastal Management, 2026: Pilot Boarding Areas, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/54393.
Full Citation Examples
A location offshore where a pilot may board a vessel in preparation to piloting it through local waters. Pilotage is compulsory for foreign vessels and U.S. vessels under register in foreign trade with specific draft characteristics. See 46 CFR 15.812 for additional detail. Pilot boarding stations and areas are either a well-defined position, a circular area around a position, or another more complex shaped area with well-defined boundaries.
To support ocean planning activities pursuant to the Executive Order Regarding the Ocean Policy to Advance the Economic, Security, and Environmental Interests of the United States, the Energy Policy Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Rivers and Harbors Act, and the Coastal Zone Management Act.
Data Access & Downloads
-
Marine Cadastre Data Registry
For coastal and ocean planning
Controlled Theme Keywords
ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE/MANAGEMENT, oceans
Child Items
| Type | Title |
|---|---|
| Entity | Pilot Boarding Areas |
Contact Information
Point of Contact
NOAA Office for Coastal Management (NOAA/OCM)
coastal.info@noaa.gov
(843) 740-1202
https://coast.noaa.gov
Extents
-180° W,
-60° E,
75° N,
15° S
2022-11-01
ground condition
Item Identification
| Title: | Pilot Boarding Areas |
|---|---|
| Status: | Completed |
| Publication Date: | 2026-07-06 |
| Abstract: |
A location offshore where a pilot may board a vessel in preparation to piloting it through local waters. Pilotage is compulsory for foreign vessels and U.S. vessels under register in foreign trade with specific draft characteristics. See 46 CFR 15.812 for additional detail. Pilot boarding stations and areas are either a well-defined position, a circular area around a position, or another more complex shaped area with well-defined boundaries. |
| Purpose: |
To support ocean planning activities pursuant to the Executive Order Regarding the Ocean Policy to Advance the Economic, Security, and Environmental Interests of the United States, the Energy Policy Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Rivers and Harbors Act, and the Coastal Zone Management Act. |
| Supplemental Information: |
Bureau Code: 006:48, Program Code: 006:055 |
Keywords
Theme Keywords
| Thesaurus | Keyword |
|---|---|
| Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords |
EARTH SCIENCE > HUMAN DIMENSIONS > ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE/MANAGEMENT
|
| ISO 19115 Topic Category |
oceans
|
| UNCONTROLLED | |
| None | coastal |
| None | planning |
| None | renewable energy |
Spatial Keywords
| Thesaurus | Keyword |
|---|---|
| Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords |
CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
|
| UNCONTROLLED | |
| None | Territorial Sea |
| None | United States of America |
Physical Location
| City: | North Charleston |
|---|---|
| State/Province: | SC |
Data Set Information
| Data Set Scope Code: | Data Set |
|---|---|
| Maintenance Frequency: | None Planned |
| Data Presentation Form: | Map (digital) |
| Entity Attribute Overview: |
stationName, description |
| Distribution Liability: |
https://www.marinecadastre.gov/about/disclaimer.html |
| Data Set Credit: | NOAA Office for Coastal Management |
Support Roles
Point of Contact
| Date Effective From: | 2018-06 |
|---|---|
| Date Effective To: | |
| Contact (Organization): | NOAA Office for Coastal Management (NOAA/OCM) |
| Address: |
2234 South Hobson Ave Charleston, SC 29405-2413 |
| Email Address: | coastal.info@noaa.gov |
| Phone: | (843) 740-1202 |
| URL: | https://coast.noaa.gov |
Extents
| Currentness Reference: | Publication Date |
|---|
Extent Group 1
Extent Group 1 / Geographic Area 1
| W° Bound: | -180 | |
|---|---|---|
| E° Bound: | -60 | |
| N° Bound: | 75 | |
| S° Bound: | 15 |
Extent Group 1 / Time Frame 1
| Time Frame Type: | Discrete |
|---|---|
| Start: | 2022-11-01 |
| Description: |
ground condition |
Spatial Information
Spatial Representation
Representations Used
| Grid: | No |
|---|---|
| Vector: | Yes |
| Text / Table: | No |
| TIN: | No |
| Stereo Model: | No |
| Video: | No |
Vector Representation 1
| Complex Object Present?: | No |
|---|---|
| Composite Object Present?: | No |
| Curve Object Present?: | Yes |
| Point Object Present?: | No |
| Solid Object Present?: | No |
| Surface Object Present?: | No |
Reference Systems
Reference System 1
Coordinate Reference System |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Access Information
| Security Class: | Unclassified |
|---|---|
| Data Use Constraints: |
For coastal and ocean planning |
Distribution Information
Distribution 1
| Download URL: | https://marinecadastre.gov/downloads/data/mc/PilotBoardingArea.zip |
|---|---|
| Distributor: |
Distribution 2
| Download URL: | https://marinecadastre.gov/data/ |
|---|---|
| Distributor: | |
| Description: |
Marine Cadastre Data Registry |
Technical Environment
| Description: |
Microsoft Windows, ArcGIS Pro |
|---|
Data Quality
| Accuracy: |
Untested |
|---|---|
| Horizontal Positional Accuracy: |
Compiled to meet 10 meters horizontal accuracy at 95% confidence level |
| Completeness Report: |
Untested The Pilot Boarding Area known as Whale Rock in the harbor of Pago Pago American Samoa is not within this dataset due to conflicting Latitude and Longitude positions published by Harbor Masters Office and the NOAA Office of Coast Survey. |
| Conceptual Consistency: |
These data are logically consistent |
Lineage
Sources
Brazos Santiago Pilots
| Contact Role Type: | Originator |
|---|---|
| Contact Type: | Organization |
| Contact Name: | Brazos Santiago Pilots |
| Citation URL: | https://brazossantiagopilots.com/boarding-arrangements/ |
| Source Contribution: |
Textual description of pilot boarding area location |
Maine
| Contact Role Type: | Originator |
|---|---|
| Contact Type: | Organization |
| Contact Name: | Department of Transportation |
| Citation URL: | https://www11.maine.gov/mdot/rulemaking/docs/pilotage-rule-revised04292020-redline.pdf |
| Source Contribution: |
Coordinates |
Massachusetts
| Contact Role Type: | Originator |
|---|---|
| Contact Type: | Organization |
| Contact Name: | Commission of Pilots |
| Publish Date: | 2022-11-01 |
| Citation URL: | https://www.mass.gov/doc/995-cmr-2-pilotage-within-district-one/download |
| Source Contribution: |
Coordinates |
NOAA Electronic Navigational Charts
| Contact Role Type: | Originator |
|---|---|
| Contact Type: | Organization |
| Contact Name: | NOAA Office of Coast Survey |
| Extent Type: | Discrete |
| Extent Start Date/Time: | 2016-10-29 |
| Citation URL: | https://encdirect.noaa.gov/ |
NOAA Raster Navigational Charts
| Contact Role Type: | Originator |
|---|---|
| Contact Type: | Organization |
| Contact Name: | NOAA Office of Coast Survey |
| Extent Type: | Discrete |
| Extent Start Date/Time: | 2011-01-01 |
| Citation URL: | https://seamlessrnc.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/arcgis/rest/services/RNC/NOAA_RNC/ImageServer |
Northeast Marine Pilots Association
| Contact Role Type: | Originator |
|---|---|
| Contact Type: | Organization |
| Contact Name: | Northeast Marine Pilots Association |
| Citation URL: | https://www.nemarinepilots.com/ |
| Source Contribution: |
Textual description of pilot boarding area location |
United States Coast Pilot volumes 1-10
| Contact Role Type: | Originator |
|---|---|
| Contact Type: | Organization |
| Contact Name: | NOAA Office of Coast Survey |
| Extent Type: | Discrete |
| Extent Start Date/Time: | 2026-07-06 |
| Citation URL: | https://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/publications/coast-pilot/index.html |
Process Steps
Process Step 1
| Description: |
Extract and merge ENC polygons into a single feature class. Extract, digitize and merge features from the U.S. Coast Pilot series. Conduct a visual comparison of features with the RNC data source. |
|---|---|
| Process Date/Time: | 2018-06-27 00:00:00 |
Process Step 2
| Description: |
Acquire the Pilot Boarding Station point features from Marine Cadastre project source database. Project points to North American Albers Equal Area Conic projection. Buffer point features by 926 meters (i.e. 1 nautical mile diameter). Densify circular features to maintain shape for true circles. Project circular features into NAD83 and then merge with existing Pilot Boarding Areas data set. Create and merge new features from primary sources. Clean and standardize non-spatial content for format, and style. |
|---|---|
| Process Date/Time: | 2022-11-01 00:00:00 |
Process Step 3
| Description: |
Purge deprecated features. Correct and standardize the Station Name field content. Correct and standardize the Description field content. Validate the position of features using primary sources. |
|---|---|
| Process Date/Time: | 2026-07-06 00:00:00 |
Child Items
Rubric scores updated every 15m
|
Type | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Entity | Pilot Boarding Areas |
Catalog Details
| Catalog Item ID: | 54393 |
|---|---|
| GUID: | gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:54393 |
| Metadata Record Created By: | Anna Verrill |
| Metadata Record Created: | 2018-10-25 12:07+0000 |
| Metadata Record Last Modified By: | Daniel Martin |
| Metadata Record Last Modified: | 2026-07-06 17:27+0000 |
| Metadata Record Published: | 2019-08-12 |
| Owner Org: | OCM |
| Metadata Publication Status: | Published Externally |
| Do Not Publish?: | N |
| Metadata Last Review Date: | 2022-11-16 |
| Metadata Review Frequency: | 1 Year |
| Metadata Next Review Date: | 2023-11-16 |