The term navigation expresses the procedures that are being applied for the safe command of the ship from one harbor to another or from one point of the globe to another in the least amount of time possible. Navigation, depending on the area a ship sails, the means and the instruments it uses, as well as the methods it applies, is divided into the following areas:

Coastal Navigation

When the vessel sails near the shores and the position fixing is determined by using visible objects in the shore.

Ocean Navigation

When the vessel sails far from the shores and the position fixing is determined by observing the celestial bodies.

Satellite Navigation

Lastly, because of the large development of the electronic means, vessels have the ability to determine their position by using artificial satellites.