Short Citation
Office for Coastal Management, 2026: Vessel Routing Measures, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/67919.
Full Citation Examples

Abstract

These data show the boundaries for select vessel routing measures in U.S. waters. These measures are part of an international ships routing system established by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Routing systems are predetermined routes and related measures that are recommended for use by, and may be made mandatory for, all ships, certain categories of ships or ships carrying certain cargoes when adopted and implemented in accordance with the guidelines and criteria developed by the IMO. These measures are designed to contribute to the safety of life at sea, safety and efficiency of navigation, and/or protection of the marine environment. See more at SOLAS Chapter V, Regulation 10, Paragraph 1.

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.

https://marinecadastre.gov/data/

Marine Cadastre Data Registry
https://marinecadastre.gov/downloads/data/mc/VesselRoutingMeasure.zip

Use Constraints:

For coastal and ocean planning. Not for navigation.

ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE/MANAGEMENT, oceans, planningCadastre, transportation

No Child Items for this record.

Point of Contact
NOAA Office for Coastal Management (NOAA/OCM)
coastal.info@noaa.gov
(843) 740-1202
https://coast.noaa.gov

Geographic Area 1

-180° W, -67° E, 67° N, 22° S

Time Frame 1
2024-07 - 2026-03

publication date

Title:	Vessel Routing Measures
Status:	Completed
Publication Date:	2026-03-16
Abstract:	These data show the boundaries for select vessel routing measures in U.S. waters. These measures are part of an international ships routing system established by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Routing systems are predetermined routes and related measures that are recommended for use by, and may be made mandatory for, all ships, certain categories of ships or ships carrying certain cargoes when adopted and implemented in accordance with the guidelines and criteria developed by the IMO. These measures are designed to contribute to the safety of life at sea, safety and efficiency of navigation, and/or protection of the marine environment. See more at SOLAS Chapter V, Regulation 10, Paragraph 1.
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.
Notes:	1) Area To Be Avoided 2) Precautionary Area 3) Separation Zone 4) Traffic Lane 5) Two-Way Route 6) Fairway 7) Recommended Route 8) Particularly Sensitive Sea Area see - https://www.gc.noaa.gov/pdfs/IMO%20Area-Based%20ProtectiveMeasures.GCIS.FINAL%204-20-2020.pdf
Supplemental Information:	Bureau Code: 006:48, Program Code: 006:055

Theme Keywords

Theme Keywords
Thesaurus	Keyword
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords	EARTH SCIENCE > HUMAN DIMENSIONS > ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE/MANAGEMENT
ISO 19115 Topic Category	oceans
ISO 19115 Topic Category	planningCadastre
ISO 19115 Topic Category	transportation
UNCONTROLLED
None	coastal
None	planning

Spatial Keywords

Spatial Keywords
Thesaurus	Keyword
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords	CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
UNCONTROLLED
None	Exclusive Economic Zone
None	Outer Continental Shelf
None	Territorial Sea

Organization:	Office for Coastal Management
City:	Charleston
State/Province:	SC

Data Set Scope Code:	Data Set
Maintenance Frequency:	None Planned
Data Presentation Form:	Map (digital)
Entity Attribute Overview:	CFRSection, location, routeType, citation
Distribution Liability:	https://www.marinecadastre.gov/about/disclaimer.html
Data Set Credit:	U.S. Coast Guard, NOAA Office for Coastal Management

Point of Contact

CC ID: 1184582

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

Currentness Reference:	Publication Date

Extent Group 1

Extent Group 1 / Geographic Area 1

CC ID: 1184594

W° Bound:	-180
E° Bound:	-67
N° Bound:	67
S° Bound:	22

Extent Group 1 / Time Frame 1

CC ID: 1472139

Time Frame Type:	Range
Start:	2024-07
End:	2026-03
Description:	publication date

Spatial Representation

Representations Used

Grid:	No
Vector:	Yes
Text / Table:	No
TIN:	No
Stereo Model:	No
Video:	No

Vector Representation 1

CC ID: 1184588

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

CC ID: 1184589

Coordinate Reference System

CRS Type:

Geographic 2D

EPSG Code:

EPSG:4269

EPSG Name:

NAD83

▾ See Full Coordinate Reference System Information

Security Class:	Unclassified
Data Use Constraints:	For coastal and ocean planning. Not for navigation.

Distribution 1

CC ID: 1184583

Download URL:	https://marinecadastre.gov/data/
Distributor:
Description:	Marine Cadastre Data Registry

Distribution 2

CC ID: 1184584

Download URL:	https://marinecadastre.gov/downloads/data/mc/VesselRoutingMeasure.zip
Distributor:

Description:	Microsoft Windows, ArcGIS Pro, Azure SQL

Accuracy:	Untested
Horizontal Positional Accuracy:	Compiled to meet 10 meters horizontal accuracy at 95% confidence level
Completeness Report:	Untested
Conceptual Consistency:	These data are logically consistent

Sources

Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

CC ID: 1471954

Contact Role Type:	Originator
Contact Type:	Organization
Contact Name:	National Marine Sanctuaries
Citation URL:	https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/library/coord_fknms.html

Local Notice to Mariners

CC ID: 1471953

Contact Role Type:	Originator
Contact Type:	Organization
Contact Name:	U.S. Coast Guard
Citation URL:	https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/local-notices-to-mariners

Maritime Chart Service

CC ID: 1184599

Contact Role Type:	Originator
Contact Type:	Organization
Contact Name:	NOAA Office of Coast Survey
Citation URL:	https://gis.charttools.noaa.gov/arcgis/rest/services/MCS/ENCOnline/MapServer/exts/MaritimeChartService/MapServer

Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary

CC ID: 1471956

Contact Role Type:	Originator
Contact Type:	Organization
Contact Name:	National Marine Sanctuaries
Citation URL:	https://olympiccoast.noaa.gov/protect/regulations/boundarymap.html

Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument

CC ID: 1471955

Contact Role Type:	Originator
Contact Type:	Organization
Contact Name:	NOAA General Counsel
Publish Date:	2007-04-05
Citation URL:	https://www.gc.noaa.gov/documents/mepc_56_8.pdf

Part 150 - Deepwater Ports: Operations

CC ID: 1471949

Contact Role Type:	Originator
Contact Type:	Organization
Contact Name:	U.S. Coast Guard
Publish Date:	2025-02-11
Citation URL:	https://www.ecfr.gov/on/2025-02-11/title-33/chapter-I/subchapter-NN/part-150
Citation URL Description:	Code of Federal Regulations

Part 165 - Regulated Navigation Areas and Limited Access Areas

CC ID: 1471948

Contact Role Type:	Originator
Contact Type:	Organization
Contact Name:	U.S. Coast Guard
Publish Date:	2025-02-24
Citation URL:	https://www.ecfr.gov/on/2025-02-24/title-33/chapter-I/subchapter-P/part-165/
Citation URL Description:	Code of Federal Regulations

Part 166 - Shipping Safety Fairways

CC ID: 1184596

Contact Role Type:	Originator
Contact Type:	Organization
Contact Name:	U.S. Coast Guard
Publish Date:	2024-07-12
Citation URL:	https://www.ecfr.gov/on/2024-07-12/title-33/chapter-I/subchapter-P/part-166
Citation URL Description:	Code of Federal Regulations

Part 167 - Offshore Traffic Separation Schemes

CC ID: 1184595

Contact Role Type:	Originator
Contact Type:	Organization
Contact Name:	U.S. Coast Guard
Publish Date:	2024-07-08
Citation URL:	https://www.ecfr.gov/on/2024-07-08/title-33/chapter-I/subchapter-P/part-167
Citation URL Description:	Code of Federal Regulations

Part 404 - Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument

CC ID: 1471951

Contact Role Type:	Originator
Contact Type:	Organization
Contact Name:	U.S. Coast Guard
Publish Date:	2025-02-24
Citation URL:	https://www.ecfr.gov/on/2025-02-24/title-50/chapter-IV/subchapter-A/part-404
Citation URL Name:	Code of Federal Regulations

Part 922 - National Marine Sanctuary Program Regulations

CC ID: 1471950

Contact Role Type:	Originator
Contact Type:	Organization
Contact Name:	U.S. Coast Guard
Publish Date:	2025-02-13
Citation URL:	https://www.ecfr.gov/on/2025-02-13/title-15/subtitle-B/chapter-IX/subchapter-B/part-922/
Citation URL Description:	Code of Federal Regulations

United States Coast Pilot

CC ID: 1184598

Contact Role Type:	Originator
Contact Type:	Organization
Contact Name:	NOAA Office of Coast Survey
Citation URL:	https://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/publications/coast-pilot/index.html

Process Steps

Process Step 1

CC ID: 1184591

Description:

1) Acquisition of coordinate and attribute values from sources

2) Compilation of features as a polygon feature class

3) Edits to the format of attributes to remove special characters and standardize case and spacing

4) Execute the CHECK GEOMETRY and the REPAIR GEOMETRY ArcGIS Pro functions

5) Validation of geometry values using GEOS options in QGIS

6) Visual validation and cross reference checking with alternate sources where available

Process Date/Time:

2022-09-21 00:00:00

Process Step 2

CC ID: 1471952

Description:

1) Acquisition of coordinate and attribute values from sources

2) Compilation of features as a polygon feature class per respective coordinate system, using mathematical curves and 4-meter densification for circular features

3) In general, geometry for precautionary areas is given priority over coincident features

4) Where overlap occurs, erase feature geometry using a standard shoreline

5) Visual validation and cross reference checking with alternate sources where available

6) Edits to the format of attributes to remove special characters and standardize case, spacing, and citation format

7) Execute the CHECK GEOMETRY and the REPAIR GEOMETRY ArcGIS Pro functions

8) Validation of geometry values using GEOS options in QGIS

Process Date/Time:

2026-01-01 00:00:00

Catalog Item ID:	67919
GUID:	gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:67919
Metadata Record Created By:	Daniel Martin
Metadata Record Created:	2022-09-20 21:56+0000
Metadata Record Last Modified By:	Daniel Martin
Metadata Record Last Modified:	2026-03-16 17:37+0000
Metadata Record Published:	2022-09-22
Owner Org:	OCM
Metadata Publication Status:	Published Externally
Do Not Publish?:	N
Metadata Last Review Date:	2026-03-16
Metadata Review Frequency:	1 Year
Metadata Next Review Date:	2027-03-16

Summary

Data Access & Downloads

Controlled Theme Keywords

Child Items

Contact Information

Extents

Item Identification

Keywords