https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SeacoastWAMS

Background: The Coast Guard is responsible for developing and implementing policy for establishing, operating, and maintaining the Federal Aids to Navigation System consisting of over 48,000 Federal buoys, beacons, ranges, sound signals and electronic ATON.

The Office of Navigation Systems will determine how the Coast Guard can provide the most effective and efficient ATON system that current resources will allow. Future waterway design must incorporate electronic and modern
physical ATON within the MTS. In addition, this analysis will adjust policy where appropriate and redefine ATON and MSI levels of service.

. The Coast Guard is conducting a study to update its policy governing waterway design criteria, redefine national levels of service that will promote the safety of future maritime transportation on U.S. navigable waters and enhance mariner situational awareness by capturing navigation requirements and leveraging new technology.

. We will consider all feedback from our national, regional, and local maritime partners related to the Atlantic and Gulf Seacoast System and address those concerns as we redefine national levels of service and waterway design criteria.

. In addition to public feedback, the Coast Guard will examine many factors when determining the optimal waterway design criteria. These factors include waterway, vessel and boat characteristics; available technology; waterway users; predominate cargo; and environmental considerations. The Coast Guard`s top priority will always be safety of life at sea, and any new policy will support that objective.

. The Coast Guard is committed to enabling the safe and efficient movement of vessels on the Maritime Transportation System, a system which enables the continuous flow of overseas trade into U.S. ports, sustains 13 million jobs and contributes more than $649 billion annually to the U.S. GDP.

. Some Federal Aids to Navigation were established on mariner requirements that predate modern navigation technologies and methods.

. This study is part of the Coast Guard`s Future of Navigation initiative, a nationwide effort to bring our waterways, MSI, and ATON architecture into the 21st Century.

. This assessment is a long-term project, and we will keep the maritime community informed of any new information or opportunities to provide input as we redefine national levels of service and waterway design criteria to
promote the safety of future maritime transportation and commerce on U.S. navigable waters.

Waterway users are encouraged to provide feedback via a short survey that can be found at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SeacoastWAMS