§ 62.3 33 CFR Ch. I (7–1–19 Edition) § 62.3 Definition of terms. Subpart B—The U.S. Aids to Certain terms as used in this sub- Navigation System chapter are defined as follows: (a) Aid to Navigation. The term aid to § 62.21 General. navigation means any device external (a) The navigable waters of the to a vessel or aircraft intended to as- United States and non-navigable State sist a navigator to determine position waters after December 31, 2003, are or safe course, or to warn of dangers or marked to assist navigation using the obstructions to navigation. U.S. Aids to Navigation System, a sys- (b) Commerce. The term commerce, in tem consistent with the International addition to general, national and inter- Association of Lighthouse Authorities national trade and commerce of the (IALA) Maritime Buoyage System. The United States, includes trade and trav- IALA Maritime Buoyage System is fol- el by seasonal passenger craft (marine lowed by most of the world’s maritime and air), yachts, houseboats, fishing nations and will improve maritime boats, motor boats, and other craft, safety by encouraging conformity in whether or not operated for hire or buoyage systems worldwide. IALA profit. buoyage is divided into two regions (c) Commandant. The term Com- made up of Region A and Region B. All mandant means the Commandant of navigable waters of the United States the Coast Guard. follow IALA Region B, except U.S. pos- (d) District Commander. The term Dis- sessions west of the International Date trict Commander means the com- Line and south of 10 degrees north lati- mander of a Coast Guard District. tude, which follow IALA Region A. Coast Guard Districts are listed in Part Lateral aids to navigation in Region A 3 of this chapter. vary from those described throughout (e) Corps of Engineers. The term Corps this Subpart. Non-lateral aids to navi- of Engineers means the Corps of Engi- gation are the same as those used in neers, Department of the Army. Region B. See § 62.25. Appropriate nau- tical charts and publications should be (f) Person. The term person imparts consulted to determine whether the both singular or plural, as the case de- Region A or Region B marking schemes mands, and includes any Federal Agen- are in effect for a given area. cy, State, Territory, possession, or public subdivision thereof, the District (b) The U.S. Aids to Navigation Sys- of Columbia, and any corporation, com- tem is designed for use with nautical pany, association, club, or other in- charts. Nautical charts portray the strumentality. physical features of the marine envi- ronment, including soundings and (g) Navigable waters of the United other submarine features, landmarks, States. The term navigable waters of and other aids necessary for the proper the United States is defined in § 2.36(a) navigation of a vessel. This crucial in- of this chapter. formation cannot be obtained from [CGD 86–031, 52 FR 42640, Nov. 6, 1987, as other sources, even ones such as topo- amended by USCG–2001–9044, 68 FR 42601, graphic maps, aeronautical charts, or July 18, 2003] atlases. The exact meaning of an aid to navigation may not be clear to the § 62.5 Marking of marine parades and mariner unless the appropriate chart is regattas. consulted, as the chart illustrates the (a) The Coast Guard may establish relationship of the individual aid to aids to navigation to mark marine pa- navigation to channel limits, obstruc- rades and regattas which are regulated tions, hazards to navigation, and to the by the Coast Guard for the purpose of total aids to navigation system. protecting life and property, or to as- (c) The navigator should maintain sist in the observance and enforcement and consult suitable publications and of special regulations. For marine pa- instruments for navigation depending rade and regatta regulations, see Part on the vessel’s requirements. This ship- 100 of this chapter. board equipment is separate from the (b) [Reserved] aids to navigation system, but is often 142 VerDate Sep<11>2014 09:08 Aug 14, 2019 Jkt 247137 PO 00000 Frm 00152 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Y:\SGML\247137.XXX 247137 pparker on DSK3GDR082PROD with CFR Coast Guard, DHS § 62.21 essential to its use. The following pub- Coast Guard Marine Information lications are available from the U.S. Broadcasts. Government to assist the navigator: (d) The U.S. Aids to Navigation Sys- (1) The Light List, published by the tem is primarily a lateral system Coast Guard and available for viewing which employs a simple arrangement on the Coast Guard Navigation Center of colors, shapes, numbers, and light Web site at http://www.navcen.uscg.gov characteristics to mark the limits of lists federal and private aids to naviga- navigable routes. This lateral system is tion. It includes all major Federal aids supplemented by nonlateral aids to to navigation and those private aids to navigation where appropriate. navigation that have been deemed to (e) Generally, lateral aids to naviga- be important to general navigation, tion indicate on which side of a vessel and includes a physical description of an aid to navigation should be passed these aids and their locations. when the vessel is proceeding in the (2) The United States Coast Pilot, Conventional Direction of Buoyage. published by the National Ocean Serv- Normally, the Conventional Direction ice and available from NOAA Certified of Buoyage is the direction in which a Printer Partners listed at http:// vessel enters navigable channels from www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/mcd/ seaward and proceeds towards the head NOAAChartViewer.html. Free on-line of navigation. In the absence of a route versions and weekly updates supple- leading from seaward, the Conven- ment the information shown on nau- tional Direction of Buoyage generally tical charts, and are available directly follows a clockwise direction around from NOAA at http:// land masses. For example, proceeding www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/nsd/ southerly along the Atlantic Coast, cpdownload.htm. Subjects such as local from Florida to Texas along the Gulf navigation regulations, channel and Coast, and northerly along the Pacific anchorage peculiarities, dangers, Coast are considered as proceeding in climatalogical data, routes, and port the Conventional Direction of Buoyage. facilities are covered. In some instances, this direction must (3) Local Notices to Mariners are be arbitrarily assigned. Where doubt published by local Coast Guard District exists, the mariner should consult Commanders. Persons may view Local charts and other nautical publications. Notices to Mariners on the Coast (f) Although aids to navigation are Guard Navigation Center Web site at maintained to a reasonable degree of http://www.navcen.uscg.gov. Changes to reliability, the rigors of the marine en- aids to navigation, reported dangers, vironment and various equipment fail- scheduled construction or other disrup- ures do cause discrepancies on occa- tions, chart corrections and similar sion. useful marine information is made (g) The Coast Guard makes reason- available through this publication. able efforts to inform the navigator of (4) The Notice to Mariners is a na- known discrepancies, and to correct tional publication, similar to the Local them within a reasonable period of Notice to Mariners, published by the time, depending upon resources avail- National Geospatial-Intelligence Agen- able. Occasionally, a temporary aid to cy. The notices may be viewed on the navigation, which provides different National Geospatial-Intelligence Agen- but similar service, is deployed until cy’s Web site at http://msi.nga.mil/ permanent repairs can be made to the NGAPortal/MSI.portal. This publication original aid. Notification of such tem- provides oceangoing vessels significant porary changes is made through the information on national and inter- notice to mariners system. national navigation and safety. (h) Mariners should exercise caution (5) The mariner should also listen to when using private aids to navigation Coast Guard Broadcast Notices to because private aids are often estab- Mariners. These broadcasts update the lished to serve the needs of specific Local Notice to Mariners with more users rather than general navigation timely information. Mariners should and their purpose may not be obvious monitor VHF-FM channel 16 to locate to casual users; and, discrepancies to 143 VerDate Sep<11>2014 09:08 Aug 14, 2019 Jkt 247137 PO 00000 Frm 00153 Fmt 8010 Sfmt 8010 Y:\SGML\247137.XXX 247137 pparker on DSK3GDR082PROD with CFR § 62.23 33 CFR Ch. I (7–1–19 Edition) private aids are often detected, re- (iii) Pillar buoys have a wide cylin- ported, and corrected less promptly drical base supporting a narrower su- than discrepancies to Coast Guard aids perstructure. They may be surmounted to navigation. by colored shapes called topmarks. (iv) Spherical buoys have a round [CGD 86–031, 52 FR 42640, Nov. 6, 1987, as shape. amended by CGD 88–018, 54 FR 48608, Nov. 24, 1989; CGD 97–018, 63 FR 33573, June 19, 1998; (2) Mariners attempting to pass a USCG–2001–9286, 66 FR 33640, June 25, 2001; buoy close aboard risk collision with a USCG–2015–0433, 80 FR 44279, July 27, 2015] yawing buoy, the buoy’s mooring, or with the obstruction which the buoy § 62.23 Beacons and buoys. marks. (3) Mariners should not rely on buoys (a) Aids to navigation are placed on alone for determining their positions shore or on marine sites to assist a due to factors limiting their reli- navigator to determine his position or ability. Prudent mariners will use safe course. They may mark limits of bearings or angles from beacons or navigable channels, or warn of dangers other landmarks, soundings, and var- or obstructions to navigation. The pri- ious methods of electronic navigation.