Coast Guard scheduled to temporarily discontinue 10 Lockwoods Folly Inlet navigational aids in NC

united states coast guard 

News Release  

April 20, 2017
U.S. Coast Guard 5th District Mid-Atlantic
Contact: 5th District Public Affairs
Office: (757) 398-6272
After Hours: (757) 434-7712

Coast Guard scheduled to temporarily discontinue 10 Lockwoods Folly Inlet navigational aids in NC

WILMINGTON, N.C. -- The Coast Guard is scheduled to temporarily discontinue ten navigational aids in Lockwoods Folly Inlet near Oak Island and Holden Beach beginning Thursday, due to extensive shoaling and navigational safety concerns.

Under the current condition of the inlet, the aids to navigation can no longer be configured to safely mark a passable channel. Mariners transiting through Lockwoods Folly Inlet do so at their own risk.

Heavy shoaling in the vicinity of Lockwoods Folly Inlet has progressed over the past few months making the waterway inaccessible to vessels with a draft greater than three feet.  The aids to navigation listed below currently do not accurately mark the waterway as they once did. The markers are misleading to mariners, which can be more dangerous than having no aids to navigation.

The aids to navigation scheduled to be changed are:

  • Lockwoods Folly Inlet Buoy 1 (31010)
  • Lockwoods Folly Inlet Buoy 2 (31015)
  • Lockwoods Folly Inlet Buoy 3 (31020)
  • Lockwoods Folly Inlet Buoy 4 (31025)
  • Lockwoods Folly Inlet Buoy 5 (31027)
  • Lockwoods Folly Inlet Buoy 6 (31030)
  • Lockwoods Folly Inlet Buoy 7 (31035)
  • Lockwoods Folly Inlet Buoy 8 (31040)
  • Lockwoods Folly Inlet Buoy 10 (31045)
  • Lockwoods Folly Inlet Buoy 12 (31047)

The Coast Guard is responsible for providing navigational systems, information and services that enable safe navigation.

The Coast Guard continues to work with federal, state and local partner agencies regarding the viability of marking waterways; however, waterways must be reasonably stable and of sufficient depth for the Coast Guard to safely service an area.

Consult Local Notice to Mariners 5th Coast Guard District for the latest positions and status of aids to navigation at: http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=lnmDistrict&region=5

"Mariners need to be aware that navigational aids in the vicinity of Lockwoods Folly are not currently reliable and present a danger," said Lt. Eunice James, Chief of the Waterways Management Division for Sector North Carolina. "The Coast Guard is aware and taking action as soon as possible to remedy the situation."

To report any aids to navigation discrepancies, shoaling, or hazards to navigation, please contact the Sector North Carolina Command Center at 910-343-3882. The U.S. Coast Guard will continue to monitor the conditions of the waterway and update mariners as necessary.

-USCG-