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| Subject: | CHARLESTON SC DAILY PORT UPDATE | | Date: | Tuesday, September 07, 2010 | | Priority: | Normal | | Notice: |
URGENT INFORMATION: NONE
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PORT LIMITS/INFORMATION
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Maximum Depths - (Fresh)
Harbor Entrance - 47.0 ft
Main Channel - 45.0 ft
BERTH LIMITS/INFORMATION:
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Current maximum drafts allowed at berths:
Amerada Hess - Max draft - 40'00
Delfin - Max Draft - 42'00
Chem Marine - Max Draft - 38'00 MLW
Kinder Morgan - berth 1 - 40'00
Kinder Morgan - berth 2 - 40'00
Kinder Morgan - berth 3 - 30'00"
Kinder Morgan - berth 4 - Max draft 39'00, tide needed for anything
deeper than 36'00 BP - Max draft 32'6" Low water / Salt
Wando Terminal - Max draft 45'00 MLW - Max BM No restriction North
Charleston Terminal - Max draft 45'00 MLW - Max BM No restriction
CST - Max draft 45'00 MLW - Max BM No restrictions
Nucor - Max draft 25'00 (movements daylight & tidal restricted), Max LOA
450', Max Beam 52'
Per pilots - restrictions for Tanker movements:
Drafts of 36'00 or less may transit at anytime Drafts of 36'01 to 40'00 -
window: Start in 1 Hour before low water until 2 hours before high water
Drafts of 40'01 to 41'00 - window: start in 2 hours after low water until
2 hours before high water
Drafts of 41'01 to 42'00 - window: start in 3 hours after low water until
3 hours before high water
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VESSEL TRAFFIC:
=============================================
FEDERAL, STATE & LOCAL FILING REQUIREMENTS:
---------------------------------------------
96 Hours - advance notice of arrival required by USCG
48 Hours - advance receipt of crew list by Immigration for any vessel
arriving from a foreign port, or arriving coast wise with detained crew.
24 Hours (minimum) - Foreign cargo must have manifest submitted to
Customs & Border Patrol AMS. Bond must be filed for Foreign flag vessels
or U.S. flag arriving with foreign cargo aboard. All vessels must sumbit
USCG's H1N1 Flu checklist.
24 Hours - advance notice to Pilots
24 Hours - advance fax of crew list and approved visitors required by
Terminal.
72 Hours - post port call, the Port Authority requires bill of lading
figures for all bulk cargo.
Port Security - All persons doing business within Port Authority property
must have security pass from SCPA. All persons wanting unescorted access
to any vessel must have a valid TWIC.
=========================================
Current Articles:
A city divided
Some see economic boon, others an unwelcome invasion
By Glenn Smith
The Post and Courier
Sunday, September 5, 2010
38 Comment(s)
Cruising in: This is the first in an occasional series of stories looking
at the impact on historic Charleston from weekly visits by these floating
cities.
To the owners of Hall's Chophouse, a cruise ship pulling into port signals
the sound of cash registers ringing.
SPA-commissioned study on the economic benefits of cruise industry
Port news release about cruise terminal relocation
Union Pier redevelopment plan (114 page PDF)
Preservation Society of Charleston position paper on cruise management
Letter from Mayor Riley outlining his position on the cruise industry
Big boats bursting with people translates to increased sales for the
family-owned restaurant and a host of other businesses around Charleston,
from Victoria's Secret to Coburg Dairy, florists to supermarkets, officials
said.
Other folks, however, see these hulking cruise liners as waterborne threats
to this historic city's quality of life. They view the ships as unwelcome
behemoths that disgorge thousands of tourists, clogging city streets,
straining infrastructure and raising the specter of pollution.
The cruise ship industry has been a part of Charleston for almost four
decades, with nearly 1,000 ships visiting the Holy City in that time. The
industry, however, has gained a greater toehold in the city since May when
Charleston became a home port for the Carnival Fantasy. Rather than the
occasional visit, pleasure ships are now bellying up to the docks at a rate
of about two a week, with each ship dumping up to 3,500 people onto the
city's streets.
That tourism infusion is expected to pump some $37 million into the
region's economy this year amid a crippling recession, benefitting everyone
from longshoremen on the docks to bellboys in area hotels.
"We definitely know when the ships are here, and we couldn't be happier,"
said Billy Hall, whose family owns Hall's Chophouse on King Street.
But not everyone wins.
While ship crew members wandered through Harris Teeter supermarket on a
recent afternoon buying fresh supplies and wiring money home, the
neighboring East Bay True Value Hardware didn't see a dime in extra
business. Some regular customers stay away when the ships are in town,
owner Kim Hines said. "Some Saturdays we wonder why we even open at all."
For many residents, the only tangible by-products of the ships are road
closures and traffic jams. They look to cruise-heavy cities such as Key
West and worry that things will only get worse until the boats and their
human cargo overrun Charleston and destroy its fragile historic charm.
"It feels like we are giving up so much of our quality of life for
something where most people don't see any benefit," SuSu Ravenel of Tradd
Street said.
Some groups advocate having the city regulate the industry and establish
local controls, while others suggest that is unworkable and unnecessary.
The debate has divided neighborhoods and community groups.
"The best word that describes it is 'polarizing' -- extremely so," said
Charles Rhoden, president of the Charleston Peninsular Neighborhood Consortium.
Port and city officials insist cruise opponents' fears are unwarranted.
State Ports Authority Chief Executive Officer Jim Newsome said the agency
has every intention of keeping the cruise business at a scale that is
appropriate to Charleston. That translates to no more than two
3,500-passenger ships per week, a limit supported by experience and current
cruise bookings through 2012. Plans to build a one-berth passenger terminal
on the northern end of Union Pier attest to the SPA strategy of having just
one ship in port at a time, he said.
"This is not Key West or Fort Lauderdale," he said, "and it will not become
Key West or Fort Lauderdale."
Mayor Joe Riley, a supporter of cruise ships, also considers two ships a
week an appropriate number for the city. He said the ships result in 250
direct jobs at the port, "substantial spillover economic benefits" and a
diverse port portfolio.
Newsome said problems with snarling traffic largely have been ironed out as
the SPA and Charleston police have devised better routes for getting
passengers to and from the ships. Each cruise generates, at most, 400 to
500 cars coming into or leaving the city, an amount easily accommodated on
local roads, particularly when passenger departures and arrivals are
staggered over a 10-hour period, he said. The traffic situation will
further improve when the new terminal is constructed, allowing for a more
orderly flow and ending the need for street closures, he said.
"With the new cruise terminal, I don't think you will even know there is a
ship in town unless you see it," Newsome said.
Newsome said the SPA went out of its way to involve the community in the
process, and that involvement spurred the plan for a new terminal. Several
neighborhood leaders have expressed support for the plan and have said
encouraging words about the cruise industry's standards and practices.
"It's been a very controversial issue, and quite frankly, I don't see why
that is. It helps the economy and creates jobs," said Elizabeth Farley
Clark, president of the Charlestowne Neighborhood Association. "The SPA has
been a delight to work with. They have been very receptive to the questions
asked of them and have been very open about their plans."
Not everyone, however, shares that enthusiasm or trust.
At last week's meeting of the Historic Ansonborough Neighborhood
Association, residents questioned president Pat Jones about her support of
the pier plan and cruise ship practices when the association as a whole had
not been asked for its opinion on the matter.
Jones said she feels the ships are best regulated at the national and
international level, as the cruise business is a global industry and its
boats are registered abroad. "These are not our ships," she said.
Others strongly disagreed. "When you have a resort-size ship parked down
the street two or three times a week, it certainly feels like it's ours,"
former association president Jeremy Willits said.
Jones agreed to appoint a committee to study the issue.
Wendell Robinson, president of the Laurens Place condominium association,
already has made up his mind on the ships. His development is next to Union
Pier. While he doesn't object to cruise ships in principle, or to the port
making a buck, he and his neighbors grow tired of fighting long lines of
passenger traffic just to get in and out of their homes.
"Two ships a week is too much," he said. "There needs to be some local
regulation."
In late July, the Preservation Society of Charleston issued 13 pages of
recommendations for managing the cruise industry. Among other things, the
group wants to limit the number of ships visiting Charleston each year and
ban ships with more than 500 passengers. It also advocates remote parking
near the intersection of Interstates 26 and 526, an advisory committee to
oversee the industry and a fee of $5 or so per passenger to fund
infrastructure and tourism projects.
Evan Thompson, the society's executive director, said the cruise industry
may be an important economic engine, but it should not escape the oversight
afforded to carriage rides, pedicabs, walking tours and other
visitor-oriented businesses. "One thing we have learned is that for tourism
to be successful it needs to be managed," he said, "and cruise ships are no
exception."
Port officials said the industry already is highly regulated, and it would
be counterproductive for the ships to encounter different regulations in
every port. Newsome also said no evidence suggests current environmental
regulations fall short or that Charleston Harbor has been mistreated by
pleasure ships.
Port officials have resisted the idea of a written decree limiting the
number or size of ships. Newsome said the city would be consulted on any
change in ship visits, but it would be unwise for the port to agree to
arbitrary limits on its business.
Newsome also objects to a remote parking facility and imposing a $5 "head
tax" for passengers. Newsome said it would be unfair to single out cruise
visitors for a special fee when they represent only a fraction of visiting
tourists.
Dana Beach, executive director of the Coastal Conservation League, said the
city needs to decide what it wants to be -- a destination of culture and
heritage or a hub for discount travelers.
"You can't brand yourself to be Myrtle Beach and Northeast Harbor, Maine,
at the same time," he said. "You have to make a choice."
=======================================================
CURRENT ISSUES:
09/14/10 1145 - CWIT LUNCHEON MEETING
10/7/10 1800 - CWIT SILENT AUCTION
FUTURE/ONGOING ISSUES
2014 - ETA FOR NEW CHARLESTON PORT TERMINAL TO BE COMPLETED
===============================================
SECURITY LEVEL: MARSEC 1
HURRCANE STATUS: ALERT LEVEL 4 - HURRICANE EARL / TS HERMINE
...HERMINE CONTINUES MOVING INLAND OVER SOUTH TEXAS...SPREADING VERY
HEAVY RAINS AND STRONG WINDS NORTHWARD...
SUMMARY OF 700 AM CDT...1200 UTC...INFORMATION
----------------------------------------------
LOCATION...27.7N 98.2W
ABOUT 35 MI...60 KM SW OF MATHIS TEXAS
ABOUT 50 MI...80 KM W OF CORPUS CHRISTI TEXAS
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...45 MPH...75 KM/HR
PRESENT MOVEMENT...NNW OR 345 DEGREES AT 17 MPH...28 KM/HR
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...995 MB...29.38 INCHES
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
800 AM EDT TUE SEP 7 2010
FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO...
THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER IS ISSUING ADVISORIES ON TROPICAL
STORM HERMINE...LOCATED INLAND ABOUT 50 MILES WEST OF CORPUS CHRISTI
TEXAS.
CLOUDINESS AND SHOWERS OVER THE LEEWARD ISLANDS AND THE NORTHEASTERN
CARIBBEAN SEA ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE REMNANTS OF GASTON. THIS
SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE WESTWARD AT 15 TO 20 MPH WITH NO
SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENT DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS.
THERE IS A LOW CHANCE...10 PERCENT...OF THIS SYSTEM BECOMING A
TROPICAL CYCLONE AGAIN DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS.
A WEAK AREA OF LOW PRESSURE LOCATED ABOUT 350 MILES WEST OF THE
NORTHERNMOST CAPE VERDE ISLANDS IS PRODUCING DISORGANIZED CLOUDINESS
AND SHOWERS. ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN
UNFAVORABLE FOR DEVELOPMENT DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS AS THE
LOW MOVES WESTWARD NEAR 10 MPH. THERE IS A LOW CHANCE...10
PERCENT...OF THIS SYSTEM BECOMING A TROPICAL CYCLONE DURING THE
NEXT 48 HOURS.
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS LOCATED BETWEEN THE CAPE VERDE ISLANDS AND
THE WEST COAST OF AFRICA ARE ASSOCIATED WITH A TROPICAL WAVE.
DEVELOPMENT...IF ANY...OF THIS SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO BE SLOW TO
OCCUR AS IT MOVES WESTWARD AT 10 TO 15 MPH DURING THE NEXT COUPLE
OF DAYS. THERE IS A LOW CHANCE...10 PERCENT...OF THIS SYSTEM
BECOMING A TROPICAL CYCLONE DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS.
ELSEWHERE...TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION IS NOT EXPECTED DURING THE
NEXT 48 HOURS.
===================================================================
Tides for Charleston (Customhouse Wharf) starting with September 3, 2010.
Day High Tide Height Sunrise Moon Time % Moon
/Low Time Feet Sunset Visible
Tu 7 Low 1:18 AM -0.1 6:58 AM Rise 5:57 AM 3
7 High 7:23 AM 6.2 7:37 PM Set 6:56 PM
7 Low 1:36 PM -0.6
7 High 7:48 PM 6.8
W 8 Low 2:08 AM -0.4 6:59 AM Rise 7:08 AM 0
8 High 8:18 AM 6.5 7:35 PM Set 7:32 PM
8 Low 2:31 PM -0.7
8 High 8:39 PM 6.8
Th 9 Low 2:57 AM -0.6 7:00 AM Rise 8:20 AM 0
9 High 9:12 AM 6.8 7:34 PM Set 8:08 PM
9 Low 3:25 PM -0.6
9 High 9:29 PM 6.6
F 10 Low 3:45 AM -0.6 7:00 AM Rise 9:30 AM 3
10 High 10:05 AM 6.9 7:33 PM Set 8:46 PM
10 Low 4:18 PM -0.4
10 High 10:19 PM 6.3
Sa 11 Low 4:33 AM -0.4 7:01 AM Rise 10:40 AM 8
11 High 10:58 AM 6.8 7:31 PM Set 9:27 PM
11 Low 5:11 PM -0.1
11 High 11:09 PM 6.0
Su 12 Low 5:22 AM -0.2 7:02 AM Rise 11:49 AM 16
12 High 11:53 AM 6.6 7:30 PM Set 10:12 PM
12 Low 6:06 PM 0.3
M 13 High 12:00 AM 5.6 7:02 AM Rise 12:53 PM 25
13 Low 6:13 AM 0.1 7:29 PM Set 11:02 PM
13 High 12:49 PM 6.3
13 Low 7:02 PM 0.7
Tu 14 High 12:55 AM 5.3 7:03 AM Rise 1:53 PM 36
14 Low 7:08 AM 0.5 7:27 PM Set 11:56 PM
14 High 1:47 PM 6.1
14 Low 8:01 PM 1.0
W 15 High 1:51 AM 5.1 7:03 AM Rise 2:46 PM 46
15 Low 8:06 AM 0.8 7:26 PM
15 High 2:47 PM 5.9
15 Low 9:01 PM 1.2
Th 16 High 2:50 AM 4.9 7:04 AM Set 12:52 AM 56
16 Low 9:07 AM 0.9 7:25 PM Rise 3:32 PM
16 High 3:46 PM 5.7
16 Low 9:59 PM 1.2
F 17 High 3:49 AM 4.9 7:05 AM Set 1:50 AM 66
17 Low 10:07 AM 1.0 7:23 PM Rise 4:12 PM
17 High 4:41 PM 5.7
17 Low 10:53 PM 1.2
Sa 18 High 4:45 AM 5.0 7:05 AM Set 2:47 AM 75
18 Low 11:03 AM 1.0 7:22 PM Rise 4:47 PM
18 High 5:31 PM 5.8
18 Low 11:43 PM 1.1
Su 19 High 5:37 AM 5.2 7:06 AM Set 3:43 AM 82
19 Low 11:55 AM 0.9 7:21 PM Rise 5:18 PM
19 High 6:17 PM 5.8
M 20 Low 12:27 AM 0.9 7:07 AM Set 4:38 AM 89
20 High 6:25 AM 5.4 7:19 PM Rise 5:46 PM
20 Low 12:41 PM 0.8
20 High 6:59 PM 5.9
==========================================================================
OFFSHORE WATERS FORECAST
Synopsis...HIGH PRES WILL BUILD FROM THE NORTH THROUGH MIDWEEK. A COLD
FRONT WILL APPROACH THU...BEFORE STALLING AND SLOWLY DISSIPATING NORTH OF
THE WATERS LATE IN THE WEEK.
Today...NE winds 10 kt...becoming E 10 to 15 kt this afternoon. Seas 2 to 3
ft. A slight chance of showers and tstms this morning.
Tonight...E winds 5 to 10 kt. Seas 2 to 3 ft.
Wed...E winds 5 to 10 kt. Seas 2 ft.
Wed Night...S winds 5 to 10 kt. Seas 2 ft.
Thu...SW winds 5 to 10 kt. Seas 2 ft.
Thu Night...SW winds 5 to 10 kt. Seas 2 to 3 ft.
Fri...S winds 5 to 10 kt. Seas 2 to 3 ft. A slight chance of showers and tstms.
Sat...S winds 5 to 10 kt. Seas 2 to 3 ft. A slight chance of showers and tstms.
| | Notice posted on Tuesday, September 07, 2010 | |
Disclaimer
For quality assurance purposes please note well that while the above information is regularly vetted for accuracy it is not intended to replace the local knowledge or expertise pertaining to port conditions of our marine operations personnel. Port précis should always be verified by contacting the corresponding marine department of a particular location for the most up-to-date information.
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