Position (degrees and minutes)
How warnings write positions: degrees, a hyphen, then minutes, with N/S and E/W — 49-40.8N 003-43.8W.
NGA and most other services write latitude and longitude as degrees and decimal minutes separated by a hyphen: 49-40.8N 003-43.8W is 49 degrees 40.8 minutes north, 3 degrees 43.8 minutes west, in the western English Channel. A minute of latitude is one nautical mile, so the decimal places in a position also tell you how precise the report is.
A single position describes a point hazard; several positions lettered A, B, C describe an area or a track line. seahazards parses these into map geometry. The map shape is only as good as the numbers in the text, and the original text on each warning page remains the authority.
What the archive shows
150,446 messages in this archive use “Position (degrees and minutes)”, the earliest issued 1982-10-05 and the latest 2026-09-24. 338 of them are in force in the latest lists we collected. A hazard reported again and again counts once per message.
The largest yearly count is 2017, with 8,517 messages. Collection is incomplete between 2024-05 and 2026-08-17, so 2024, 2025 and 2026 are not comparable with fully collected years.
Exercises accounts for 35,416 of 150,446 recorded messages (24%), the largest warning type group in this selection.
Located messages that use it fall in 100 sea areas; the most frequent are South Atlantic Ocean (17,410), North Atlantic Ocean (14,109) and North Pacific Ocean (14,102).
Its use is spread fairly evenly through the year: the busiest month, March, has 13,222 messages and the quietest, February, 11,669.
By warning series: HYDROPAC 63,172, HYDROLANT 62,057, NAVAREA IV 14,346 and NAVAREA XII 7,504, and 11 more.
Messages using it, by year of issue
By month of issue, all years
Where it appears · 100 sea areas
- South Atlantic Ocean 17,410
- North Atlantic Ocean 14,109
- North Pacific Ocean 14,102
- South Pacific Ocean 6,376
- South China Sea 6,114
- Mediterranean Sea - Eastern Basin 5,336
- Indian Ocean 5,096
- Arabian Sea 4,895
- North Sea 4,793
- Bay of Bengal 3,980
- Labrador Sea 3,733
- Southern Ocean 3,211
In force now · 338
- NAVAREA XI 426/26 · Cable ops · South China Sea2026-09-24 · in force
…PART. SUBMARINE PIPELINE WORKS BY M/V FORTITUDE. UNTIL 08 OCT 2026. IN VICINITY OF A.11-38.23N 118-56.36E. B.11-34.10N 118-53.54E. CANCEL THIS MSG 091600Z OCT.
Submarine pipeline works by M/V fortitude → - NAVAREA XI 425/26 · Missiles2026-09-23 · in force
NORTH PACIFIC. SPACE DEBRIS. 1427Z TO 1833Z DAILY 28 SEP TO 04 OCT. AREA BOUNDED BY 23-55N 144-37E 26-07N 151-14E 27-41N 156-20E 29-25N 165-03E 30-26N 172-41E 30-56N 180-00W…
Space debris → - NAVAREA X 104/26 · Missiles · Indian Ocean2026-09-23 · in force
…ISLANDS TO IIE SAINT PAUL 1. SPACE DEBRIS DANGER AREA 90NM EITHER SIDE OF CENTRELINE A. 25-53.36S 072-43.47E B. 20-57.57S 086-06.16E C. 15-03.34S 098-04.17E 2. DAILY FROM 28 SEP TO 04…
NAVAREA X 104/26 → - AUSCOAST 301/26 · Nav aids · Timor Sea2026-09-22 · in force
CAPE HOTHAM LIGHT Q3315 IN POSITION 12-02.78S 131-17.37E UNLIT
Cape hotham light Q3315 in position 12-02.78S 131-17.37E unlit → - NAVAREA XI 424/26 · Derelicts · South China Sea2026-09-22 · in force
…NORTHERN PART. ABANDONED VESSEL, M/V MSC HERMES 3, 213 METRE LONG, ADRIFT IN VICINITY OF 11-45N 112-15E ON 220820Z SEP. CANCEL THIS MSG 250820Z SEP.
Abandoned vessel, M/V msc hermes 3, 213 metre long, adrift in vicinity of 11-45N 112-15E on 220820Z sep → - AUSCOAST 300/26 · Surveys · Indian Ocean2026-09-22 · in force
…FUGRO KWILENA / MLOV8 / 503147420 CONDUCTING UNDERWATER OPERATIONS IN AN AREA BOUNDED BY 20-19.72 S TO 20-35.47 S AND 115-42.52 E TO 115-43.80 E 1.5NM CLEARANCE REQUESTED.
Special purpose vessel fugro kwilena / MLOV8 / 503147420 conducting underwater operations in an area bounded… →
How it reads in recent messages
- HYDROARC 251/26 · Icebergs · Laptev Sea2026-09-23
LAPTEV SEA. RUSSIA. 1. ICEBERGS REPORTED AT 230900Z SEP IN: A. 77-06.70N 112-00.30E. B. 77-21.10N 109-24.50E. C. 76-39.50N 122-28.70E. 2. CANCEL THIS MSG 261419Z…
Icebergs reported at 230900Z sep in: a. 77-06.70N 112-00.30E → - HYDROPAC 2760/26 · Exercises · Arabian Sea2026-09-23
GULF OF KHAMBHAT. INDIA. 1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS 250230Z TO 251130Z SEP IN AREA BOUND BY 20-26.00N 072-27.00E, 20-26.00N 072-40.00E, 20-40.00N 072-40.00E, 20-40.00N 072-27.00E. 2. CANCEL…
Hazardous operations 250230Z to 251130Z sep in area bound by 20-26.00N 072-27.00E, 20-26.00N 072-40.00E,… → - NAVAREA XII 657/26 · Missiles2026-09-23
…OPERATIONS, SPACE DEBRIS 1427Z TO 1833Z DAILY 28 SEP THRU 04 OCT IN AREA BOUND BY 23-55.00N 144-37.00E, 26-07.00N 151-14.00E, 27-41.00N 156-20.00E, 29-25.00N 165-03.00E, 30-26.00N…
Hazardous operations, space debris 1427Z to 1833Z daily 28 sep thru 04 oct in area bound by 23-55.00N… → - HYDROPAC 2761/26 · Missiles2026-09-23
…OPERATIONS, SPACE DEBRIS 1427Z TO 1833Z DAILY 28 SEP THRU 04 OCT IN AREA BOUND BY 23-55.00N 144-37.00E, 26-07.00N 151-14.00E, 27-41.00N 156-20.00E, 29-25.00N 165-03.00E, 30-26.00N…
Hazardous operations, space debris 1427Z to 1833Z daily 28 sep thru 04 oct in area bound by 23-55.00N… → - HYDROPAC 2759/26 · Exercises · Laccadive Sea2026-09-23
…INDIAN OCEAN. INDIA. 1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS 241330Z TO 241730Z SEP IN AREA BOUND BY 09-35.00N 075-11.00E, 09-35.00N 075-27.00E, 09-50.00N 075-27.00E, 09-50.00N 075-11.00E. 2. CANCEL…
Hazardous operations 241330Z to 241730Z sep in area bound by 09-35.00N 075-11.00E, 09-35.00N 075-27.00E,… → - HYDROPAC 2758/26 · Exercises · Bay of Bengal2026-09-23
…OF BENGAL. INDIA. 1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS IN PROGRESS UNTIL 251829Z SEP IN AREA BOUND BY 19-14.60N 084-53.70E, 19-07.39N 085-35.94E, 18-52.00N 085-29.95E, 18-45.00N 085-24.21E, 18-36.50N…
Hazardous operations in progress until 251829Z sep in area bound by 19-14.60N 084-53.70E, 19-07.39N… →
Earliest in the archive
- NAVAREA IV 2929/82 · Other1982-10-04
CHART 28015. SUB-SURFACE ACCOUSTIC CURRENT METERS ARRAY (DEPTH 100 METER) ESTABLISHED IN 21-38N. 86-00W.
Sub-surface accoustic current meters array (depth 100 meter) established in 21-38N →
Often in the same message
Related terms
- Area bound by
- Introduces a list of positions that are the corners of an area — the polygon the warning applies to.
- Track line joining
- Introduces a route through a series of positions — a cable route, a tow's track or a survey line.
- Within a radius of
- A circular area — every position within a stated distance of a point.
- Chart reference
- The number of the nautical chart on which the reported position lies.
Counts cover the messages in this archive that use the term, recounted 2026-09-24; see coverage for what is collected and since when. Not for navigation — follow official NAVAREA and coastal broadcasts.