Notice
Port of Houston
July 09, 2024
Notices
The Captain of the Port (COTP) Houston-Galveston has set Port Condition Recovery, effective 1600 on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, for the ports of Houston, Texas City, Galveston, and Freeport, and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway from the Colorado Locks going east to High Island Bridge. The COTP is working with coordinating agencies to deploy survey vessels to verify the condition of the waterways. Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) currently has degraded communications, AIS, and radar capability. To initiate a phased opening of the ports and waterways listed below, the following conditions are set:
- The Port of Galveston and Port of Texas City, including the entrance channels, are open to commercial vessels with a draft restriction of 30 feet or less and daylight only. Transits are limited to commercial vessels only with prior authorization from VTS.
- The Port of Houston and its entrance channel is open to commercial vessels with a draft restriction of 35 feet or less and daylight only. Transits are limited to commercial vessels only with prior authorization from VTS.
- The Port of Freeport and its entrance channel is open to commercial vessels with a draft restriction of 36 feet or less and daylight only. Deep draft commercial vessel transits must coordinate closely with the Brazos Pilots.
- The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway from the Colorado Locks going east to Pelican Cut is closed to vessel traffic.
- The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway from Bolivar going east to High Island Bridge is open to commercial vessel traffic.
- All upper Houston Ship Channel barge transits require prior approval from the VTS watch supervisor at (281) 464-4836.
- The upper Houston Ship Channel from Buffalo Bayou turning basin to Lynchburg is open for barge traffic one way only inbound during the time of 0600 to 1200 and 1800 to midnight.
- The upper Houston Ship Channel from Buffalo Bayou turning basin to Lynchburg is open for barge traffic one way only outbound during the times of 1200-1800 and midnight to 0600.
- The upper Houston Ship Channel from Lynchburg to the GICW is open for barge traffic during daylight only.
- Barge fleeting and Light Boat operations are authorized to resume normal operations.
- Facilities may commence over water cargo operations if not listed on the Sector Houston-Galveston Homeport facility post storm assessments list.
The COTP Houston-Galveston continues to work closely with coordinating agencies to include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to fully reopen the ports and waterways listed above. Additional updates to this MSIB will be published during this phased reopening of the COTP zone.
This MSIB supersedes MSIB 19-24 and MSIB 20-24. Additional guidance regarding Hurricane Beryl will be issued in the form of further Marine Safety Information Bulletins, Broadcast Notice to Mariners or other forms as necessary. Please contact the Sector Houston-Galveston Command Duty Officer at (866) 539-8114 if you have any questions or comments. This bulletin shall remain active until cancelled or superseded by future bulletin.
K. M. Donohue
Captain, United States Coast Guard
Captain of the Port