U.S. Coast Guard reopens Port of Tinian to daylight operations, VHF comms remain limited

SANTA RITA, Guam — The U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port (COTP) for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands reset a modified Port Heavy Weather Condition (PHWC) WHISKEY for the Port of Tinian, effective at noon ChST on Friday, July 10, reopening the port to daylight-only commercial traffic and cargo operations. All operators must coordinate operations with the Commonwealth Ports Authority. Following assessments Thursday and Friday, including work by an aids to navigation positioner deployed with the USCGC Myrtle Hazard (WPC 1139) to determine positions, the COTP was able to partially lift restrictions, restoring maritime commerce flow to Tinian. Simultaneously, crews restored connectivity to the Mt. Alutom communications tower on Guam with the help of a FEMA generator, improving VHF coverage in part of the region. The towers on Rota and Saipan remain offline. Additionally, the team at the Rota Emergency Operations Center informed the U.S. Coast Guard that the VHF tower on Rota was damaged by Super Typhoon Bavi, further limiting near-shore VHF radio coverage. “My thanks to the team and partners for the coordination as we reopen ports across the Marianas, enabling the maritime flow of critical supplies,” said Capt. Jessica Worst, commander, U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam and Captain of the Port Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. “As heavy weather conditions subside and people begin to take to the water, I cannot overstress the importance of taking multiple forms of communication and letting someone on shore know where you are going and when you will be back. We have significant VHF communications outages across the islands. Our team is working to restore coverage, but many of these solutions require equipment from off-island, and it will take time.”