Cable ops

Seismic survey in progress until 30 apr by vessel towing six 6000 meter long cables in area bound by 18-17N…

South China Sea · HYDROPAC 824/14

What this record establishes

Archived notice · 2014-05-01 00:01Z

This notice comes from the historical archive. Its archived status does not establish when or how the reported situation ended.

Source and dates: NGA MSI broadcast-warn JSON (archive, frozen 2024-05) · NAVAREA XI 223/14 240833Z MAR 14.. Issued 2014-03-24 09:21Z. First collected 2026-08-17 13:38Z; last seen in collection 2026-08-17 15:46Z. Collection dates record ingestion, not a new incident or a fresh field observation.
Location covered: South China Sea. The map shows an area described by the warning; the listed coordinate is its representative center. Check the original wording for limits and qualifications.

Current notices and reporting history in the South China Sea →

issued: 2014-03-24 09:21Z
status: Archived notice
authority: NAVAREA XI 223/14 240833Z MAR 14.
NAVAREA: NAVAREA XI · named as the source of this relay
sea: South China Sea
position: 18.112, 107.966
source: NGA MSI broadcast-warn JSON (archive, frozen 2024-05) · first seen 2026-08-17 13:38Z

Original warning text

SOUTH CHINA SEA.
GULF OF TONKIN.
1. SEISMIC SURVEY IN PROGRESS UNTIL 30 APR BY
   VESSEL TOWING SIX 6000 METER LONG CABLES
   IN AREA BOUND BY
   18-17N 107-33E, 18-17N 108-14E,
   17-54N 108-14E, 17-54N 107-53E.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 01 MAY 14.

Reading this warning

Seismic survey: A survey that maps the rock beneath the seabed with sound pulses from air guns, recorded on streamers kilometres long.
Towed array / streamer: Equipment towed a long way behind a vessel — sonar, a hydrophone cable, a sampling sled — invisible at the surface.
Tow / towing: A vessel towing another vessel, a barge or a structure — slow, hard to manoeuvre, and with a long line between.
Area bound by: Introduces a list of positions that are the corners of an area — the polygon the warning applies to.
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.
CANCEL THIS MSG: The warning's own expiry: a line telling the reader when the message cancels itself.

All warning terms →

Collected reports in this area · cable & pipeline work

31 within 180 nm since 2000 · 0 in the last 12 months · 0 listed in force now

Counts include repeat notices about the same situation. NGA archive coverage ends 2024-05; live collection began 2026-08-17. The period between them is incomplete. An empty year is not evidence that no hazards occurred.

Month of issue in the collected archive

All available years combined. Uneven collection and repeat bulletins affect these counts; this chart does not measure the seasonality or probability of incidents.

Nearby notices listed in force · within 120 nm

No other collected notice is currently listed in force within this radius. This does not establish safe conditions.

Worldwide in the collected sources

24 cable & pipeline work listed in force · see all

Record snapshot 2026-10-02 00:51Z; source collection times vary.

Cable ops

Cable laying, pipeline and seismic operations. All current cable & pipeline work →

Not for navigation. This is a re-rendering of an official navigational warning for awareness; mariners must use official NAVAREA broadcasts and their national MSI service.