What is the definition of maritime navigation?

The definition of maritime navigation encompasses the comprehensive activities involved in planning and directing a vessel's movement over water to successfully reach a designated location. This includes understanding routes, utilizing navigational aids, and making real-time decisions based on various factors such as weather, tides, and currents. Effective navigation is crucial for ensuring the safety and efficiency of maritime travel, whether for commercial, recreational, or military purposes.

The focus on planning and directing the movement highlights the strategic nature of navigation, which requires knowledge of charts, compasses, and other tools to plot a course. This definition captures the essence of maritime navigation as a multifaceted skill critical for mariners.

The other options address narrower or unrelated concepts. Measuring water depth pertains specifically to depth soundings and not to navigation in a broader sense. Sailing between fixed points is a limited interpretation, as navigation often involves adjusting courses between expanding and varying points. Fishing techniques from a vessel are entirely separate from navigation and do not relate to the processes of moving and directing a ship.