Coast Guard reopens Ports of Wilmington, Morehead City with restrictions

U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 09/19/2018 10:49 AM EDT

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News Release  

Sept. 19, 2018
U.S. Coast Guard Hurricane Florence Response
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Coast Guard reopens Ports of Wilmington, Morehead City with restrictions

Crewmembers from the Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton, based out of Charleston, South Carolina, look for hazards to navigation as they assess conditions in the Port of Wilmington, North Carolina, Sept. 17, 2018. The Ports of Morehead City and Wilmington were reopened with conditions on Sept. 18, 2018, after being closed due to Hurricane Florence on Sept. 12, 2018. Coast Guard Photo by Ensign Kiana Kekoa Crewmembers from the Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton, based out of Charleston, South Carolina, look for hazards to navigation as they assess conditions in the Port of Wilmington, North Carolina, Sept. 17, 2018. The Ports of Morehead City and Wilmington were reopened with conditions on Sept. 18, 2018, after being closed due to Hurricane Florence on Sept. 12, 2018. Coast Guard Photo by Ensign Kiana Kekoa Crewmembers from the Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton, based out of Charleston, South Carolina, look for hazards to navigation as they assess conditions in the Port of Wilmington, North Carolina, Sept. 17, 2018. The Ports of Morehead City and Wilmington were reopened with conditions on Sept. 18, 2018, after being closed due to Hurricane Florence on Sept. 12, 2018. Coast Guard Photo by Ensign Kiana Kekoa

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Coast Guard reopens Ports of Wilmington, Morehead City with restrictions

GOLDSBORO, N.C.— The Coast Guard Captain of the Port of North Carolina opened the Ports of Wilmington and Morehead City with restrictions on Tuesday evening.

The Port of Wilmington is open with the following restrictions:

  • Vessels are restricted to daylight-only operations.
  • Vessels are prohibited from operating north of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge.
  • Vessels with a draft in excess of 37 feet must coordinate entry with the Cape Fear Pilots Association and the Captain of the Port.

The Port of Morehead City is open except for the following types of vessels who may only transit in daylight:   

  • All self-propelled oceangoing vessels over 500 gross tons.
  • All oceangoing barges and their supporting tugs.
  • All tank barges over 200 gross tons.

Mariners should transit ports with extreme caution due to the possibility of aids to navigation discrepancies or other hazards to navigation.

“The Coast Guard is committed to and focused on resuming the flow of commercial operations vital to the North Carolina economy and national interests, while working alongside the North Carolina State Port Authority, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Army Corps of Engineers,” said Capt. Bion Stewart, leader of the Coast Guard’s response to Hurricane Florence in North Carolina.

Mariners should report any hazards to navigation to the Coast Guard Sector North Carolina command center at 919-722-4884.

Mariners can view the latest port updates on the Coast Guard Sector North Carolina Homeport site.

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-USCG-