NOAA is continuing with the end plan for paper and raster nautical charts in August and September.
15 charts covering the eastern half of the North Slope of Alaska will be moved into last edition status on August 5, 2021 and will be canceled on February 2, 2022.
Moreover, a further 14 charts regarding the western half of the North Slope will be moved into last edition status on September 2, 2021 and be cancelled on March 2, 2022.
These charts have been fully supplanted by new electronic charts, which include a new process to notify mariners of the transition of individual paper charts to electronic charts. These charts are also easier to update and maintain.
In addition, mariners will be officially notified of chart cancellations in the U.S. Coast Guard Local Notice to Mariners.
Six months before a chart is canceled, NOAA will update the chart with a note in the lower left corner, indicating the chart’s status as a “last edition” and the date on which it will be canceled.
This will be the last NOAA chart cancellation announcement for the public. As the sunset plan continues, cancellation notifications of additional paper charts will primarily be via the U.S. Coast Guard Local Notice to Mariners.
Cancellation of all traditional paper and associated raster chart products will be completed by January 2025.
