USA

The USCG this week issued a news release stating that it is now testing a series of Electronic Aids to Navigation (eATON) in the San Franciso Bay area.

The “virtual buoys” are transmitted through the Coast Guard’s Nationwide AIS (NAIS) and are displayed on ships’ electronic charting systems and radars which are designed to receive it.

They currently mark reporting points in the offshore TSS approaches, pilot embarkation points and bridge towers.

The scheme is designed to aid navigation during periods of heavy fog or congestion in the bay.

The full news release can be found on the USCG website here