USA Anchorage Areas

At some point, every vessel will have a need to find the right anchorage for a specific vessel type.An anchorage area is a place where boats and ships can safely drop anchor. Anchorage areas are routinely and frequently established by where maritime interests require them for safety of navigation. These areas fit into categories which are limited geographically, and depending on the purpose of the designation, establish both long-term and short-term anchorages. This ultimately helps in the tracking and anticipation of maritime traffic and usage. The authority to designate special anchorage areas was transferred by an [act of Congress] to and vested in the Secretary of Homeland Security by section 902(j) of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2006 (Pub. L. 109-241, 120 Stat 516), and delegated to the Commandant of the US Coast Guard in Department of Homeland Security Delegation No. 0170.1. The Commandant re-delegated the authority to establish anchorage grounds to each Coast Guard District Commander as provided in 33 CFR 1.05-1(e)(1)(i). The area categories are described in more detail under the [United States Code] where one select group is named a special anchorage area and one of the sub categories pertains to vessels of less than 20 meters which are not required to exhibit anchor lights, sounds or shapes required by rule 30 of the Inland Navigation Rules (33 U.S.C. 2030). While areas described in sub-part B of the same rule, are designated as anchorage grounds. The categories are in support of the Coast Guard's broad role and responsibility of maritime safety.They are designed to support coastal and ocean planning and other activities pursuant to the Energy Policy Act, Coastal Zone Management Act, Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Rivers and Harbors Act and the Submerged Lands Act. Dataset Summary The data for this layer were obtained from NOAA's Coastal Services Center ftp website (ftp://ftp.csc.noaa.gov/pub/MSP/) and updated regularly. The polygon features in this layer contain attributes for the type of anchorage, name, effective date, and identifier. What can you do with this layer? The features in this layer can be used for finding the right anchorage for a specific vessel type. An anchorage area is a place where boats and ships can safely drop anchor. These areas are created in navigable waterways when ships and vessels require them for safe and responsible navigation. A variety of designations refer to types of anchorage areas, whether special or restricted, or even to alerts of potential dangers within an anchorage area. Every boater and captain should be aware of the various types of anchorage areas. By viewing the data attributes, you can determine what types of anchoring are allowed (size of boat, type of anchor), who created the anchorage area (US Coast Guard, local government, county government, or state government), and the authority in charge of the anchorage area. Marine planners need to know which marine areas, including anchorages, are currently being used by industries or various recreational groups to avoid conflicts. Many ocean activities require anchoring at some point. Although many larger vessels, such as those used for wind farm construction, might not need to anchor, knowing the locations of anchorage areas is still recommended and wise. These areas are often used by larger vessels when they need to find safer areas than shipping lanes or coastal areas during extreme weather. Anchorage areas are also often used in case of emergency or when vessels need to wait for a pilot boat or docking space in a port. This layer is a feature service, which means it can be used for visualization and analysis throughout the ArcGIS Platform. This layer is not editable.