Marine Navigation Charts And CFR Codes: Helping You Sail Safely And Legally

When you’re a maritime professional out at sea, you know that you will be faced with many challenges. With numerous hurdles awaiting you, you will stand in good stead if you are better prepared to face and possibly get over them. This is why you must be equipped with all the necessary instruments and equipments that would help you combat everything that the sea throws at you. Two of the most important necessities for any naval professional have to be marine navigation charts and the Code of Federal Regulations.

Marine navigation charts - or nautical charts - are navigational tools that are your aids on sea as you sail through your course. They depict the configuration of the shoreline and seafloor and contain information on water depth, location of obstructions and other navigational aids. They become especially important because without nautical charts you don’t know the half of what the sea would throw at you. Typically, navigational charts come in two formats: physical charts and electronic charts, and these charts are sourced from United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO/British Admiralty), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Geospatial Intelligence (NGA).

The U.S. Code of Federal Regulations - or CFR codes - are policies and rules on a range of fields and are laid out by the administrative bodies in the U.S. There are a total of 50 titles, some of which include Food and Drug, Transportation, National Defense and more. You must comply without fail to these CFR codes if you are sailing under the U.S. flag and/or sailing on U.S. waters.
Nautical charts and CFR codes are two of the most important accessories for a maritime officer. So before setting out to sail on U.S. waters, make sure that you are equipped with the relevant charts and codes like CFR 29, CFR 33, CFR 40 and more.