Marcus Hook Anchorage Vessel Reservation List

Please see the attached vessel reservation list for Marcus Hook Anchorage for the next 72-hours. This list is accurate as of 19MAR25 at 1200.

If there are questions or concerns, please contact the Sector Delaware Bay Command Center at 215-271-4807.

MSIB 11-25 (Update 1) Return to Normal Port Condition

The Captain of the Port (COTP), Sector Delaware Bay is notifying mariners that the port has secured from modified Port Condition WHISKEY and has returned to Normal Port Condition on the Delaware Bay and River, Cape May Harbor and Canal, and the New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway.

If you have any questions regarding the contents of this bulletin, please contact the Waterways Management staff at (206) 815-6688, option 3.

*Please see attachment for the full text.

MSIB 10-25 Ship to Ship Transfer and Lightering Operations

MSIB 06-16, titled Advance Notice / Request for Lightering is here by cancelled.

Applicable vessels can reference 33 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 156, Subpart A for requirements for Oil and Hazardous Material Transfer Operations.

*Please see the attachment for the full text.

Benjamin Franklin Bridge Maintenance, Reduced Vertical Clearance

Mariners are advised that an engineering firm, on behalf of the Delaware River Port Authority, will be removing cables from the underside of the I-676 (Benjamin Franklin) Bridge, at mile 100.2, across the Delaware River, in Philadelphia, PA. Work is scheduled from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday from February 24, 2025, through March 7, 2025. To facilitate this work the movable platform under the bridge will be utilized. The platform will reduce the vertical clearances of the bridge under the middle 800 feet of the span to approximately 121 feet and 114 feet under the rest of the river channel span. Vessels able to pass through the bridge with the reduced vertical clearance may do so at any time. Vessels that are not able to pass through the bridge with the reduced vertical clearance are required to give a minimum of 4 hours advanced notice to the Coast Guard via phone at (267) 515-7294. Outside of the stated work hours the vertical clearances will return to normal, and vessels may transit through the bridge without notice. Mariners are advised to transit the area with caution.

MSIB 08-25 Use of Engine/Shaft Power Limiters in Pilotage Waters

The U.S. Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay has observed an increase in vessels entering the Captain of the Port (COTP)
Zone with Engine Power Limiters (EPLs) or Shaft Power Limiters (ShaPoLis). Inspections have revealed inconsistencies
in their implementation under international standards, necessitating clarification.

*Please read the attachment for the full text.

MSIB 03-25 (Update 1) Return to Seasonal Ice Alert

The Captain of the Port (COTP), Sector Delaware Bay is notifying mariners that the port has secured from Winter Port Condition One and Winter Port Condition Two and has returned to Seasonal Ice Alert on the Delaware Bay and River, Chesapeake and Delaware (C&D) Canal, Cape May Harbor and Canal, New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway, and Delaware Shore.

*Please see the attachment for the full text.

MSIB 06-25 (Update 1) Ice Condition One Lifted

Due to warmer temperatures and the erosion of ice, the Captain of the Port, Sector Delaware Bay has lifted Ice Condition One and removed all restrictions on the Upper Delaware River.

If you have any questions regarding the contents of this bulletin, please contact the Waterways Management staff at (206) 815-6688, option 3.


*Please see the attachment for the full text.

Marcus Hook Anchorage Reservations during Dredging Operations

All mariners be advised beginning on November 11, 2024, at noon the Captain of the Port will permit only one vessel at a time on a “first come, first served” basis in the upper portion of Marcus Hook Anchorage (Anchorage 7), with preference given to those vessels greater than 650’ in overall length. Please note all reservations will be for 12-hour periods, and reservations must be made at least 24 hours in advance.

Vessels and agents can begin making reservations now. The first 12-hour reservation available will be from noon until midnight on November 11, 2024. Reservations can be made through the Sector Delaware Bay Command Center via phone at (215) 271-4807.

MSIB 14-24 PHILADELPHIA TO SEA MAINTENANCE DREDGING

The Captain of the Port (COTP), Sector Delaware Bay, is notifying mariners that the Coast Guard is establishing two safety zones to facilitate the Philadelphia to Sea Maintenance Dredging. Maintenance dredging will be conducted in Marcus Hook Range and Marcus Hook Anchorage (No. 7) on the Delaware River on November 11, 2024, through approximately March 15, 2025.

Please see the attachment for the full text.

MSIB 13-24 SPEED RESTRICTION IMPOSED TO PROTECT NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALES

The Captain of the Port, Sector Delaware Bay advises all vessels transiting the Mid-Atlantic Ocean that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has established regulations which implement a 10 knot or less over ground speed restriction for all vessels 65 ft (19.8 m) or greater in specified locations (called Seasonal Management Areas or SMAs) during certain times of the year along the east coast of the U.S. Atlantic seaboard. These regulations are designed to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales by reducing the likelihood of collisions between ships and whales.

Please see the attachment for the full text.

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.

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.

***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.