The NOAA Office of Coast Survey recently released a draft of a new National Charting Plan which describes strategies to improve NOAA's suite of nautical chart products. NOAA is encouraging all stakeholders ----from professional mariners and recreational boaters to equipment manufacturers ----to review the plan and provide feedback. 

Learn more about the plan and submit your comments today!

For the past 40 years, U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers have delivered supplies to the National Science Foundation's South Pole stations in Antarctica. With the help of more than 140 USCG crew members, these icebreakers routinely navigate frigid waters and over 70 miles of ice ranging in thickness from one to 10 feet. 

On February 13th, senior Coast Guard leaders gathered in Washington D.C. to talk about the need for more U.S. icebreakers, as the Polar Star is currently the Coast Guard's only operational ice breaker. The Committee on Polar Icebreaker Cost Assessment was formed to evaluate the need and costs associated with the acquisition of one or more icebreakers and will submit it's findings in July of 2017. 

Continue reading about the Antarctica icebreaker evaluation here.