| The US Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit (MSU) Port Arthur’s Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) held a Port Coordination Team (PCT) conference call at 1000 hours today to update industry partners on the forecast for the fog, the potential impacts on the Sabine-Neches waterway, and address any stakeholder questions. Your WGMA Maritime Affairs team participated on the call and has the following report for our membership:
National Weather Service:
· Daytime mixing and warmth should allow visibilities in the channel to start improving after 1000 hours. There should be several hours of visibilities greater than 1 nautical mile between 1200 and 1600.
· Fog will increase after midnight tonight. There are chances for visibilities less than 1 nautical mile over later tonight into early Thursday morning.
· Weak front anticipated this Sunday night into Monday morning.
Sabine Pilots:
2 vessels in the outbound que. Presently moving 2 inbound LNG’s. Hoping to move 6 inbound ships at 1300 hours depending on the weather.
WGMA members are reminded that our partners DTN WeatherOps can provide customized weather reports for your specific area, and their seasonal Fog Forecast gives you a 7-day outlook of fog for every port on the US Gulf Coast. Contact WGMA Maritime Affairs to sign up to receive these reports.
MSU Port Arthur anticipates another 1000 hour PCT conference call tomorrow, Thursday, December 25th. Your WGMA Maritime Affairs team will participate on all PCT calls and report updates to our membership. |
