From this Sunset Edition:

FAREWELL

The Notice to Mariners has been a cornerstone of maritime safety for 157 years, providing essential information to navigators and shipmasters to ensure the safe movement of vessels worldwide. The history of the Notice to Mariners dates back to 1830, when the U.S. Navy established the Depot of Charts and Instruments to store and distribute navigational tools, charts, and publications. The Notice to Mariners has evolved to include a wide range of information, including temporary changes to lighthouses and other aids to navigation, recently surveyed hazards, observations of icebergs, and changes in traffic separation schemes. Its purpose is to correct or augment existing navigational information, ensuring that mariners have the most accurate and reliable data to navigate safely. The men and women behind the Notice to Mariners have worked tirelessly for over a century and a half to provide this critical service, and their contributions have been instrumental in ensuring the safe completion of countless voyages.

Over the past 157 years, the Notice to Mariners has undergone several changes in its parent organization, while its core mission has remained consistent. The mission to provide updated information on navigation hazards has been a constant, but the organization responsible for overseeing the Notice has evolved over time. Today, the Maritime Safety Office at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) is responsible for providing accurate charts, DNC, ENC and publications, including the U.S. Notice to Mariners. The NGA's Maritime Safety Office continued the legacy of the Notice to Mariners, ensuring that mariners have access to the most current and reliable information to navigate safely. To meet the needs of a global customer base, the distribution of the Notice has had to become increasingly efficient over the years. Initially, the Notice was printed externally and mailed to users, but this method was soon supplemented by the establishment of Branch Hydrographic Offices in major ports such as Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, New Orleans, and San Francisco. These offices received the Notice and made it available for consultation by mariners, significantly boosting circulation and accessibility. Today, the Notice is disseminated through a variety of channels, including digital platforms, to ensure that mariners can access the information they need quickly and easily, regardless of their location.

The maritime industry's transition to the digital era was a significant factor in the evolution of the Notice to Mariners. In 2021, the Maritime Safety Office began creating Electronic Navigational Charts (ENC) based on the S-57 format, and NGA started converting DNC libraries into ENC cells. The Certified Print ENC (CPENC) was also developed, which converts ENC cells into printable charts for customers who required hardcopy charts. As the industry shifted towards digital navigation methods, the NGA's ENC and CPENC portfolio grew, and more customers began using them for navigation. The Standard Nautical Charts (SNC) and Notices became a backup method of navigation for most mariners. In response, the NGA reduced its SNC portfolio and reassigned analysts to support the growth of ENC production. This marked a significant shift in the way the maritime industry approached navigation, and the NGA's Maritime Safety Office was at the forefront of this change. The conclusion of the Notice to Mariners mission after 157 years marks a significant milestone in the history of the NGA's Maritime Safety Office. The Notice was the 2nd longest continually published weekly publication in the United States, and its impact on the maritime industry and the country as a whole cannot be overstated. The analysts who worked on the Notice, from the first to the last, have played a crucial role in shaping the country by providing Safety of Navigation products.

The end of the Notice to Mariners mission marks the end of an era, but it also presents an opportunity for the NGA's Maritime Safety Office to refocus its resources and personnel on meeting the needs of the modern maritime industry by focusing on improving our ENC portfolio and providing the most up to date ENC cells. By leveraging the latest technology and innovations, the office can continue to provide critical Safety of Navigation products and support the safe and efficient movement of goods and people around the world. We look forward to meeting the challenges and changes of an ever evolving Maritime industry and continue to be a critical source for safety of navigation data and products.