Safety zone / exclusion zone
Also written: exclusion zone, danger area
An area ships must stay out of, or may only enter with permission, for safety or security.
Safety zones surround offshore installations and work sites; exclusion and security zones are declared around military activity, ports, disaster sites and, in conflict, whole sea areas. Unlike a requested berth, entering one can be prohibited by law, and the warning usually cites the authority that declared it.
The wording differs by country and purpose — "danger area", "prohibited area", "exclusion zone" — and seahazards files the most restrictive of them under restricted areas and port closures.
What the archive shows
106 messages in this archive use “Safety zone / exclusion zone”, the earliest issued 1976-05-12 and the latest 2026-09-23. 2 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 2026, with 17 messages. Collection is incomplete between 2024-05 and 2026-08-17, so 2024, 2025 and 2026 are not comparable with fully collected years.
Restricted accounts for 51 of 106 recorded messages (48%), the largest warning type group in this selection.
Located messages that use it fall in 18 sea areas; the most frequent are North Atlantic Ocean (15), Gulf of Mexico (8) and Indian Ocean (6).
Messages that use it are issued most often in September (30 across all years) and least often in February (1).
By warning series: NOAAORR 29, NAVAREA IV 25, HYDROLANT 20 and HYDROPAC 11, and 6 more.
Messages using it, by year of issue
By month of issue, all years
Where it appears · 18 sea areas
In force now · 2
- NAVAREA X 104/26 · Missiles · Indian Ocean2026-09-23 · in force
CHART AUS4714 - COCOS KEELING 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.…
NAVAREA X 104/26 → - NAVAREA I 173/26 · Surveys · North Sea2026-08-17 · in force
…VALARIS 120 ACP HAMILTON NORTH GAS FIELD NOTES: A. RIGS ARE PROTECTED BY A 500 METRE SAFETY ZONE. B. ACP - ADJACENT TO CHARTED PLATFORM. C. FOR RIGS LOCATED NORTH OF 65N, EAST OF 5W,…
Correct at 170430 UTC aug 2026 →
How it reads in recent messages
- NAVAREA X 103/26 · Missiles · Indian Ocean2026-09-17
CHART AUS4714 - COCOS KEELING 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.…
NAVAREA X 103/26 → - NAVAREA 7 258/26 · Surveys · South Atlantic Ocean2026-09-15
…S 011 - 40.40 E TUNGSTEN EXPLORER (NEW) L. 29 - 19.2 S 014 - 07.2 E SAIPEM 12000 5. 4NM EXCLUSION ZONE AROUND RIGS DUE TO PRESENCE OF UNLIT ANCHOR MARKING BUOYS 6. CANCEL NAVAREA VII 250 OF…
NAVAREA VII 258 of 2026 : (15 sep 26) 1. south atlantic ocean - ne sector 2. angola, namibia 3. charts san… → - NAVAREA 19 113/26 · Missiles2026-09-13
…DAILY FROM 18:00 - 3:00 UTC MARITIME TRAFFIC IS REQUESTED TO BE AWARE OF THE FOLLOWING DANGER AREA; DANGER AREA “MAATIND” A. 6953.08N-01621.58E B. 7012.38N-01513.81E C. 6936.32N-01340.39E…
NAVAREA XIX 113/26 norwegian sea barents sea 1. andoeya space will conduct launch operations from 14 to sept… → - AUSCOAST 294/26 · Missiles2026-09-12
CHART AUS 4709 - AUSTRALIA SOUTH COAST SPACE DEBRIS DANGER AREA BOUNDED BY: A. 43-40.64S 120-54.03E B. 43-42.11S 122-08.48E C. 48-11.42S 122-00.60E D.…
AUSCOAST 294/26 → - NAVAREA 19 108/26 · Missiles · Greenland Sea2026-09-01
…WILL BE CONDUCTED. 16:00- 21:35 UTC DAILY FROM 04 TO 10 SEPT 26. IN AREAS BOUNDED BY: DANGER AREA SEA UR: A: 68-59.33N 015-28.04E B: 69-13.36N 015-58.52E C: 70-53.82N 014-10.90E D:…
Norwegian sea grennland sea 1. rocket launch operation will be conducted → - NAVAREA 7 250/26 · Surveys · South Atlantic Ocean2026-08-31
…S 011 - 46.40 E TUNGSTEN EXPLORER (NEW) L. 29 - 19.2 S 014 - 07.2 E SAIPEM 12000 5. 4NM EXCLUSION ZONE AROUND RIGS DUE TO PRESENCE OF UNLIT ANCHOR MARKING BUOYS 6. CANCEL NAVAREA VII 233 OF…
NAVAREA VII 250 of 2026: (31 aug 26) 1. south atlantic ocean - ne sector 2. angola, namibia 3. charts san 1,… → - NAVAREA 19 107/26 · Surveys · Norwegian Sea2026-08-29
…65-07.00N 006-40.30E - TRANSOCEAN ENCOURAGE NOTES: A. RIGS ARE PROTECTED BY A 500 METRE SAFETY ZONE. B. FOR RIGS LOCATED SOUTH OF 65N, REFER TO NAVAREA I WARNINGS OR VISIT…
Correct at 290630 UTC aug 26 norwegian sea: north of 65N, east of 5W →
Earliest in the archive
- NOAAORR-6229 · Spills · North Atlantic Ocean1976-05-12
…effect of the seawater. Dense clouds of smoke were blown over the town of La Coruña. A safety zone one mile in radius [...] 2. THREAT: OIL. COMMODITY: LIGHT ARABIAN CRUDE OIL, BUNKER…
La coruña, spain →
Often in the same message
Related terms
- Navigation prohibited
- Ships may not enter or pass through the area, or a port is closed to traffic.
- Anchoring and fishing prohibited
- Ships may pass but must not anchor, trawl or put gear on the seabed — usually because of cables, pipelines, moorings or ordnance.
- Wide berth requested
- Keep well clear — or, when a distance is given ("TWO MILE BERTH REQUESTED"), at least that far away.
- Drilling rig / MODU
- A mobile offshore drilling unit — jack-up, semi-submersible or drillship — has moved into position, with anchors and a safety zone around it.
Warning types that use it
- Restricted — Navigation prohibited, exclusion and security zones, ports closed to traffic.
- War risk — Hostilities, blockades, anti-ship missile and drone threats to merchant shipping: the advisories behind the Red Sea, Black Sea and Gulf of Aden risk areas.
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.