MSIB 12-24 Changes to the USCG Local Notice to Mariners (LNM) and Light Lists

This bulletin announces upcoming changes to the Local Notice to Mariners (LNM) and Light Lists as part of the U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center efforts to modernize and improve the accessibility, accuracy, and overall user experience for mariners and other stakeholders beginning on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, at the CG Navigation Center’s LNM site.

Walt Whitman & Benjamin Franklin Bridge Inspections

Mariners are advised that an engineering firm, on behalf of the Delaware River Port Authority, will be performing bridge inspections on the I-76 (Walt Whitman) Bridge, at mile 96.8, across Delaware River and the I-676 (Benjamin Franklin) Bridge, at mile 100.2, across the Delaware River, in Philadelphia, PA. The project is scheduled from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Monday-Friday; from August 19, 2024, through October 18, 2024. A 21-foot work vessel will be in and around the vicinity of the bridge piers. Inspection personnel, equipment and vessels will relocate from the navigable channel upon request. The work vessel may be reached on VHF radio channels 13 and 16. The onsite project foreman may be reached at 973-670-0762. Mariners are advised to exercise extreme caution when transiting the area.

Delaware River, New Castle Range, Submerged Object

A SUBMERGED OBJECT APPROXIMATELY 20 FEET LONG BY 10 FEET WIDE AND 8 FEET HIGH HAS BEEN REPORTED IN THE DELAWARE RIVER IN NEW CASTLE RANGE APPROXIMATELY 500 FEET NORTHEAST OF DELAWARE RIVER LIGHTED BUOY 13 (LIGHT LIST NUMBER 2740) ON THE GREEN SIDE OF THE CHANNEL IN APPROXIMATE POSITION LATITUDE 39°34.23’N, LONGITUDE 75°33.09’W. THE SUBMERGED OBJECT IS AT A DEPTH OF 35.3 FEET AT MEAN LOW LOW WATER. MARINERS ARE ADVISED TO USE CAUTION WHEN TRANSITING IN THE VICINITY.

Please see the attached, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, charlet for the approximate location of the submerged object.

Seaward Marine Corp. will be conducting dredging operations in the Upper Delaware River between Edgewater Range and Florence Range starting July 1, 2024. Mariners are requested to notify the tug on-scene, Tug Kayla T, 30 minutes prior to transiting the area that the Dredge Carolyn Skaves is working in, to make passing arrangements. The Tug Kayla T can be contacted via VHF radio channel 13, or by phone at 757-837-7620. Mariners are reminded to transit the area with caution.

MSIB 10-24 Hurricane Seasonal Alert

The Captain of the Port, Sector Delaware Bay, is setting Hurricane Seasonal Alert on June 1, 2024. Seasonal Alert will remain in effect through November 30, 2024, unless otherwise established. All vessels, facilities, and marinas are asked to take adequate precautions and review the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay Port Hurricane Contingency Plan, and their individual Heavy Weather Plans.

Please see the attachment for the full text.

Sector Delaware Bay Coast Guard has updated the foreign vessel arrivals (VDO) number to (445)-444-1535. This number is utilized Monday thru Friday from 0730 till 1600. Continue to contact the Command Center after hours or for emergency purposes.

*Tacony-Palmyra Bridge Vertical Clearance Reduction*

Mariners are advised that Burlington County Bridge Commission will be performing repairs on the SR 73 (Tacony-Palmyra) Bridge, at mile 107.2 over the Delaware River, between Tacony PA, and Palmyra, NJ, from May 20, 2024, through September 23, 2024. To facilitate repairs to the bottom of the lower chord (steel members) on the bascule leaves, a platform will be located on and around the vicinity of the bridge for the entirety of the maintenance period. The platform will reduce the vertical clearance of the bridge by approximately 2 feet to approximately 48 feet above mean high water. Vessels able to pass through the bridge in closed position may do so at any time. The drawbridge will operate in accordance with the operating regulations set out in Title 33 Code of Federal Regulations Part 117.716. All mariners should use caution when transiting the area. The drawbridge tender may be reached VHF-FM channel 13 and (609) 922-2843. Mariners should use caution while navigating in the vicinity of the bridge.

If you have questions, please contact Sector Delaware Bay Waterways Management at 215-271-4814.

This notice is included in the U.S. Coast Guard District 5 Local Notice to Mariners.

***Cherry Island Range - Submerged Objects***

There are two submerged objects in Cherry Island Range on the Delaware River. The submerged objects were discovered during survey operations by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The first submerged object is 60 feet inside the green toe of the navigational channel. In approximate position latitude 39°43`08.5"N, longitude 75°30`27.7"W, at a depth of 42.5 feet mean low low water. The second submerged object is 55 feet from the centerline of the navigational channel. In approximate position latitude 39°42`52.8"N, longitude 75°30`28.5"W, at a depth of 43.3 feet mean low low water. Mariners are advised to use caution when navigating this area.

Please see the attachment for a chartlet of each submerged object.

Coast Guard Investigative Service

MSIB 1-23

Reporting Sexual Misconduct on U.S. Vessels

***See attachment for full text***

Sexual misconduct that occurs onboard U.S. flagged vessels harms mariners, interrupts safe operations, and often leads to accidents, lost careers, and a lifetime of trauma for the survivors who endure the abuse. The Coast Guard is committed to investigating and pursuing appropriate enforcement actions for all reports of sexual misconduct on U.S. flagged vessels. This MSIB supersedes the Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy’s MSIB 11-21 “Reporting Sexual Assaults on U.S. Vessels” issued on December 16, 2021.

NEW ESTABLISHED ANCHORAGE GROUNDS,
DELAWARE BAY


The Captain of the Port (COTP), Delaware Bay, is notifying mariners of the amended anchorage regulations, specifically 33 CFR 110.157, paragraphs (a)(18)-(20) for the Delaware Bay and River, and adjacent waters, which established two offshore deep-water anchorages. The establishment of these two anchorages is to improve navigation safety by accommodating recent and anticipated future growth in vessel size and the volume of vessel traffic entering the Delaware Bay and River, and to preserve areas traditionally used or needed for anchoring.