This rulemaking would expand the boundaries of the Vessel Traffic Service New York (VTSNY) Area and the Vessel Movement Reporting System (VMRS) Area (which lies within the VTSNY Area). The expansion would provide the Vessel Traffic Center with a more complete vessel traffic image by expanding the VTSNY Area entrances to the Port of New York and New Jersey via the seaward approaches, as well as by adding the Harlem River, portions of the Passaic River and the Hackensack River, and up the Hudson River to the Troy Lock and Dam. The expansion would also change the designated frequencies and monitoring areas a VTSNY user maintains during a required listening watch. As a result, the VTSNY Area expansion would assist in safer and more efficient vessel transits in these historically congested waterways and reduce the potential for groundings, allisions, and collisions.