55 



ports. Oil companies on the west coast fre- 

 quently have placed their wells below the sur- 

 face when aesthetic values were important. 

 Subsurface structures, however, create differ- 

 ent kinds of navigation hazards, particularly 

 to fishing trawls. 



Uses of Offshore Waters 



In addition to resource exploitation in 

 coastal areas, there is much use of the waters 

 themselves. The U.S. Navy operates on and 

 under the coastal sea jjerforming various 

 military operations; certain waters are re- 

 served for this purpose. Merchant shipping, 

 particularly with the growing use of very 

 large supertankers, soon will require the des- 

 ignation of reserved fairways. The introduc- 



With the advent of container ahipn ha» come the requirement for new port 



faciliti<s. like thin id-tim ermtniner erune. With inereaxinf! upecialization of maritime 



transportation .inch as fioat-on/ float-off hargc carriers, ever larger tankers, 



and hydrofoils, still further changes to the Nation's ports ictlt be required. 



