WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman David Rouzer (R-NC-07), Congresswoman Laura Gillen (D-NY-04), and Congressman Buddy Carter (R-GA-01) introduced H.R. 6410, the Atlantic Coast Shipping Safety Act to provide long-overdue certainty for maritime vessels operating along the Atlantic Coast and safeguard port communities. The bipartisan legislation requires Coast Guard establishment of clear, enforceable minimum widths for maritime navigation routes first proposed in 2020.
For years, shippers, tug and barge operators, fishermen, offshore energy developers, and coastal communities have raised concerns about growing congestion and competing uses along the Atlantic Coast and called for a stable maritime navigation routes framework to guide future development. The Atlantic Coast Shipping Safety Act responds to these concerns by setting firm timelines and standards so the final routes reflect both navigational safety and the realities of a busier Atlantic Coast.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, this Administration has made it clear that America’s maritime arteries are critical routes for U.S. energy, agriculture, manufacturing, and defense,” said Representative Rouzer. “These routes must be protected. The Atlantic Coast Shipping Safety Act ensures future fairways will be wide enough for modern vessels. This delivers much needed certainty to mariners, ports, and coastal communities up and down the coast.”
“Long Island's mariners deserve peace of mind as they work to keep our supply chains moving and our economy strong. I’m proud to lead the bipartisan Atlantic Coast Shipping Safety Act, which helps keep our boaters and fishermen safe,” said Congresswoman Laura Gillen. “As a Member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and Vice Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, I’ll continue to push for bipartisan solutions that make our waters safer for Long Islanders."
“America's fairways are essential to our country's economic success. The Atlantic Coast Shipping Safety Act will ensure that fairways are safe and easily navigable for shipping vessels, continuing the economic growth we are seeing under the leadership of President Trump. This legislation will protect lives and ensure the world-class Ports of Savannah and Brunswick, which I am proud to represent, safely remain the economic engine of the southeast,” said Rep. Carter.
“The American tugboat, towboat and barge industry is proud to serve as the safest and most efficient mode of freight transportation in the United States, playing a vital role in our nation’s economy, supply chain, and security,” said the American Waterway Operators (AWO). “Establishing clear navigation fairways along the busy Atlantic Coast is critical to ensure the continued safety of waterways commerce, and AWO is pleased to support the Atlantic Coast Shipping Safety Act to encourage the Coast Guard’s timely completion of this effort.”
Background
- Under the 1978 Ports and Waterways Safety Act, the Coast Guard must conduct Port Access Route Studies before establishing or adjusting maritime navigation routes to reconcile routes with other waterway uses and marine impact.
- Due to increasing offshore industry use, the Coast Guard chartered the Atlantic Coast Port Access Route Study (ACPARS) in 2011 to examine and identify safe routes from Maine to Florida. The study was completed in 2017.
- The Coast Guard issued proposed rulemakings for an Atlantic coast system of maritime navigation routes based on ACPARS findings in 2020 and 2024 (89 Fed. Reg. 3587).
- After 15 years of studying and offering solutions, the Atlantic Coast Shipping Safety Act requires a final regulation effective December 31, 2026, with primary routes no narrower than those in the 2024 proposed rule.
- As offshore industries grow along the Atlantic, these known maritime navigation routes will protect mariners and industry through the future.
The text of H.R. 6410 is available here.
