Transportation - note In 30 editions of 36.

• the new airport on Saint Helena opened for limited operations in July 2016, and the first commercial flight took place on 14 October 2017, marking the start of weekly air service between Saint Helena and South Africa via Namibia;
• the military airport on Ascension Island is closed to civilian traffic;
• there is no air connection to Tristan da Cunha and very limited sea connections making it one of the most isolated communities on the planet

• US coastal stations include McMurdo (77 51 S, 166 40 E) and Palmer (64 43 S, 64 03 W);
• government use only except by permit (see Permit Office under "Legal System");
• all ships at port are subject to inspection in accordance with Article 7, Antarctic Treaty;
• relevant legal instruments and authorization procedures adopted by the states parties to the Antarctic Treaty regulating access to the Antarctic Treaty area to all areas between 60 and 90 degrees of latitude south have to be complied with (see "Legal System");
• The Hydrographic Commission on Antarctica (HCA), a commission of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), is responsible for hydrographic surveying and nautical charting matters in Antarctic Treaty area;
• it coordinates and facilitates provision of accurate and appropriate charts and other aids to navigation in support of safety of navigation in region;
• membership of HCA is open to any IHO Member State whose government has acceded to the Antarctic Treaty and which contributes resources or data to IHO Chart coverage of the area

seven of the world’s ten largest container ports are in China

nearest airport for international flights is Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) located on Sint Maarten

nearest airport for international flights is Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) located on Sint Maarten

• Earhart Light, a day beacon near the middle of the west coast, was partially destroyed during World War II but rebuilt during the 1960s;
• today it is crumbling and in poor repair;
• named in memory of famed aviatrix Amelia EARHART

there is a day beacon near the middle of the west coast

Henderson Field on Sand Island serves as an emergency landing site for aircraft crossing the Pacific Ocean

there are no commercial or civilian flights to and from Wake Island, except in direct support of island missions; emergency landing is available

sparse network of air, ocean, river, and land routes; the Northwest Passage (North America) and Northern Sea Route (Eurasia) are important seasonal waterways

• Kiel Canal and Saint Lawrence Seaway are two important waterways;
• significant domestic commercial and recreational use of Intracoastal Waterway on central and south Atlantic seaboard and Gulf of Mexico coast of US;
• the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial waters of littoral states and offshore Atlantic waters as high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships, particularly in the Gulf of Guinea off West Africa;
• in 2014, 41 commercial vessels were attacked in the Gulf of Guinea with 5 hijacked and 144 crew members taken hostage;
• hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargoes stolen;
• crews have been robbed and stores or cargoes stolen

Drake Passage offers alternative to transit through the Panama Canal