Office of Coast Survey – News and Updates

September 29, 2026October 2, 2026

Clear waters, safe passage: How NOAA supported Sail250 and the International Naval Review, America’s maritime celebration

In celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States, Sail250 gathered an international fleet of over 60 tall ships and over 40 allied and U.S. naval vessels along the U.S. coast, from May to July. Millions of spectators in New Orleans, Norfolk, Baltimore, New York City, and Boston witnessed this historic maritime celebration. The International Naval Review 250 in the Ports of New York and New Jersey showcased international navies and coast guards in conjunction with the Sail250 event.

While tall ships and naval fleets took center stage, NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey (OCS) worked behind the scenes in the years leading up to the event to ensure safe navigation. Through multi-agency coordination, OCS directly supported this event with hydrographic surveying and accurate charting updates across participating ports.

September 17, 2026September 17, 2026

NOAA announces plans to survey Delaware Bay and solicits proposals for FY2028 funding opportunity

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is pleased to announce a partnership with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and the Delaware Geological Survey for a hydrographic surveying project in southwestern Delaware Bay.

While bathymetry has been updated for major shipping lanes in the center of the bay, additional data is needed for shallower areas between 2 and 10 meters depth that have not been surveyed since the 1970s. This project will provide modern, high-resolution bathymetry, backscatter, and side scan survey data over approximately 16.5 square nautical miles of estuary following its selection for the 2027 solicitation of the Brennan Ocean Mapping Fund.

March 30, 2026March 30, 2026

U.S. continues to close mapping gaps on ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes waters

In 2025, the ocean and coastal mapping community added 70,700 square nautical miles (snm) of new bathymetric data coverage to national repositories. With an ultimate goal of fully mapped U.S. waters by 2040, these additions brought the total down to 44% unmapped.

Progress was made on a number of fronts, but most notably in areas where regional efforts are underway to boost collaborative data acquisition activities and data sharing, in accordance with the National Ocean Mapping, Exploration and Characterization, or NOMEC, Strategy goals.

February 26, 2026

Charting the Arctic: NOAA Ship Fairweather’s 2025 Survey off of Alaska’s Coast

A large white NOAA research vessel (NOAA S 220) docked at a pier, decorated with colorful maritime signal flags. Large grey rocks form a breakwater in the foreground against green ocean water.

By ENS Cullen Hauck

NOAA Ship Fairweather went farther north than ever before for the U.S. Coast Guard’s Port Access Route Study, a multi-year effort to establish new maritime traffic routes, safety zones, and use areas in the U.S. Arctic waters.

February 19, 2026February 19, 2026

Office of Coast Survey: 2025 Year in Review

Since 1807, Coast Survey has endured to keep mariners safe and maritime commerce flowing, under the leadership of now 32 superintendents and directors. 2025 was Coast Survey’s last under Rear Admiral (lower half) Benjamin K. Evans, who was relieved as Director in early 2026 by Rear Admiral (lower half) Christiaan van Westendorp.

Coast Survey is excited for what’s to come under RDML van Westendorp’s leadership–the continued evolution of the National Bathymetric Source program, two new hydrographic ships built from the keel-up to incorporate uncrewed systems, more S-100 rollouts, and more–but wanted to first look back on everything the office accomplished in 2025 to build a strong foundation for a safer, more efficient marine economy.

February 10, 2026

Coast Survey Change of Command: Welcoming Rear Admiral (lower half) van Westendorp, the 32nd Director of Coast Survey

“Since 1807, Coast Survey has been keeping mariners safe and maritime commerce flowing. It’s an honor to be a small part of its history.” – Neil Jacobs, Ph.D., NOAA Administrator and Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere

This January, NOAA staff, partners, and friends gathered to witness the change of command and assumption of the 32nd Director of the Office of Coast Survey.

NOAA Corps Rear Admiral (lower half) Chris van Westendorp accepted command of the Office of Coast Survey, relieving Rear Admiral (lower half) Benjamin K. Evans.

January 22, 2026January 27, 2026

Coast Survey Spotlight: Meet Michael Bloom, Navigation Response Team – New London

Ever wonder what it’s like to be a member of the NOAA Coast Survey team? We use the Coast Survey spotlight blog series as a way to periodically share the experiences of Coast Survey employees as they discuss their work, background, and advice.

Michael Bloom, Physical Scientist Technologist

“When you’re surveying, you get to watch the seafloor tell a story.”
Continue reading “Coast Survey Spotlight: Meet Michael Bloom, Navigation Response Team – New London”

September 30, 2025November 18, 2025

The latest expedition in Lituya Bay: NOAA and National Park Service collaborate to update nautical charts

NOAA Ship Rainier charts volatile, glacially active waters in Glacier Bay National Park

By ENS P. Giamportone and ENS N. Greenlaw

In August 2025, NOAA Ship Rainier pulled into Lituya (lih-TOO-yuh) Bay, an inlet tucked within the outer edge of Glacier Bay National Park. The name is of Tlingit origin, meaning “lake within the point,” and the Bay has long been a source of sustenance and shelter. The entrance is narrow and turbulent, and the glacial walls make it vulnerable to rockslides and their following waves.

August 1, 2025

Charting the Yukon River as it freezes and thaws

NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey just released major updates to the official navigational charts of the Yukon River—a vital waterway serving many interior communities of Alaska. The Yukon is frozen more than half the year, limiting the window for barges to deliver the fuel, building materials, heavy equipment, and other supplies that cannot be transported by air. NOAA has developed a new process for updating the Yukon charts with the most current shoreline information, which is expected to improve safety and efficiency of navigation on the river and make delivery of vital supplies more reliable.

July 25, 2025August 13, 2025

Surveying the Kuskokwim River, Alaska’s Most Dynamic Waterway

A black U.S. Coast Guard ship, with "U.S. COAST GUARD" written in white on its side and the number "208" on its stern, is docked at a wooden pier. The ship has an orange and white superstructure. In the background, snow-capped mountains rise under a cloudy sky. The water in the foreground is calm.

Alaska’s Kuskokwim River is both unpredictable and essential. Shifting sandbars, variable tides, and seasonal ice dramatically reshape the waterway, requiring frequent updates to the navigational channel. It remains a lifeline for communities like Bethel, Alaska. NOAA’s Coast Pilot describes the waterway as a “maze of shifting sandbars…and blind channels” with navigation conditions that can change daily.

Currently, the U.S. Coast Guard maintains over 50 aids to navigation, or ATONs, along the river to guide vessels. Mariners use these ATONs to travel safely through the channels. The Coast Guard Cutter Aspen requested support from NOAA to provide updated bathymetric data to help them to validate and adjust ATONs–a mission critical function to ensure safe navigation for vessels traversing one of the state’s most dynamic and economically vital waterways.