What are Aids to Navigation (ATON)?

Aids to Navigation (ATON) are critical tools used to assist mariners in safely navigating waterways. They include a wide variety of signs and devices such as buoys, lighthouses, beacons, and markers that indicate safe passages, hazards, or specific routes. These aids provide essential information about navigation, ensuring that vessels can avoid dangers and find their way in often complex maritime environments.

The correct answer reflects the primary purpose of ATON, which is to enhance navigational safety. They are strategically placed to mark channels, indicate the presence of obstacles, or provide guidance on navigation courses, thereby facilitating both the movement and safety of vessels on the water.

In contrast, the other options do not correctly define ATON. Devices solely for cargo transport focus on logistics rather than navigation. Marine life support systems relate to ecological functions, not navigation. Emergency response coordinators work on crisis management, which is also unrelated to the primary role of ATON in navigation.