| The US Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston’s Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) held a Port Coordination Team (PCT) conference call at 0900 hours today to discuss the impact of foggy conditions for the past several days upon marine vessel traffic within the Houston, Galveston, Freeport and Texas City port complex. Your WGMA Maritime Affairs team participated on the call and has the following report for our membership:
The Houston-Galveston waterway has already experienced fog for more than 24 hours; the dense sea fog is projected to remain an issue into the weekend.
National Weather Service:
· Limited fog today.
· Fog will increase after sunset.
· Continued fog expected tomorrow morning and afternoon. NWS is continuing to monitor the river stages due to the significant rainfall and will issue alerts as needed.
· Showers expected Friday evening followed by high pressure starting to build late Saturday or Sunday morning, which will help to clear the sea fog out, at least during the daytime hours.
VTS Perspective:
· Pleasant surprise to been able to run vessels all night.
· High Water Action Plan at 8ft. as stage increases.
There were no significant priorities noted during the call. Most of the priority ships were already moving or were finished.
Houston Pilots:
· Yesterday 9 total movements.
· 17 arrivals; 5 sailing and all caught up by early evening today.
Available harbor tugboats reported in: Houston 20, Galveston/Texas City 6, Freeport 6 and all tugs remain in their respective ports
Agents are reminded to keep CBP and the pilot dispatch offices updated with your vessel’s status for movement, and to make sure that the ship’s eNOA/D are kept updated to avoid any problems.
WGMA members should note 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.
VTS Houston-Galveston advised they will hold another PCT conference call at 0900 hours tomorrow and Friday, as they continue to monitor how well vessel traffic is moving. Your WGMA Maritime Affairs team will participate on the conference call and report to our members. |
