The Coast Guard is accepting comments through April 18 on a proposal to codify existing vessel traffic patterns into shipping safety fairways, traffic separation schemes, and precautionary areas along the U.S. Atlantic Coast.
A shipping safety fairway is a lane or corridor, in which no fixed structure is permitted, that sets aside areas of sufficient depth and dimensions to accommodate vessels and allow for the orderly and safe movements of vessels transiting to or from ports. A TSS is a designated routing measure that separates opposing streams of traffic into traffic lanes in which vessels all travel in roughly the same direction. A precautionary area is a designated routing measure with defined limits where vessels must navigate with caution.
According to the Coast Guard, the proposed rule is intended to facilitate offshore development, preserve traditional shipping routes, protect maritime commerce, and maintain navigational safety amidst growing offshore activity along the Atlantic Coast. It would establish 18 fairways and one fairway anchorage, two TSS extensions, one precautionary area expansion, and six new precautionary areas with associated traffic lanes.
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