Updated northeast navigation proposal

When the U.S. Coast Guard asked in May 2025 for public input on their proposal to discontinue some aids to navigation in the northeast, the public didn’t hold back. While the initiative was to eliminate redundancy and create a more manageable system, the agency may have underestimated the public’s reliance on the current system.

As a result of the public feedback, the plan changed for more than half of the original Coastal Buoy Modernization Proposal (CBMP) buoys. Now, 121 aids were removed from the proposed discontinuation, 71 aids to navigation remain proposed for discontinuation with supporting changes to nearby buoys, and 162 buoys remain proposed for discontinuation without additional proposed changes.

“The CBMP received nearly 3,000 public comments enabling the Coast Guard to assess and adjust proposed changes,” said the USCG statement. “Detailed, specific input is a critical part of the Coast Guard’s determination steps to manage the Northeast’s 5,600 federal buoys and beacons.

“The CBMP’s main objectives remain to ensure long-term buoy system sustainability at the most navigationally critical locations for mariners while better understanding how navigation practices are changing through tools like GPS location, radar, AIS, electronic charts, and navigation apps. The CBMP update seeks to balance the use of physical aids with other navigation tools.

“The Coast Guard is strongly requesting mariners to give feedback before November 15, 2025. When providing feedback, include the size and type of your vessel, how you use the buoys to navigate and the distance at which you start looking for and using it. Responses are only accepted by email at D01-SMB-DPWPublicComments@uscg.mil.”

For a visual map of changes, click here.