|
|
|
|
|
| Subject: | CHARLESTON SC DAILY PORT UPDATE | | Date: | Monday, November 28, 2011 | | Priority: | Normal | | Notice: |
PORT LIMITS/INFORMATION
------------------------
Maximum Depths - (Fresh)
Harbor Entrance - 47.0 ft
Main Channel - 45.0 ft
BERTH LIMITS/INFORMATION:
-------------------------
Current maximum drafts allowed at berths:
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 40'00, tide needed for anything
deeper than 38'00
BP - Max draft 30'00" Low water
Wando Terminal - Max draft 43'00 MLW - tide needed for anything deeper
than
43'01" 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
Veterans Terminal 35' MLW tidal restricted
Nucor - Max draft 25'00 (movements daylight & tidal restricted), Max LOA
550', Max Beam 52'
Pier J Max Draft 30 FT
Per pilots - restrictions for Tanker movements:
Drafts of 38'00 or less may transit at anytime Drafts of 38'01 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
=============================================
VESSEL TRAFFIC:
KMI4 - ICE BASE - ETA 11/26/11
VENICE - ETA 0330/29/11
MCT ALTAIR - ETA 11/29/11
ENERGY PIONEER - ETA 12/1/11
STOLT AMI - ETA 12/5/11
BP - TUG RESOLVE & 650-3 - IN ETD 0330/29TH
HESS - TORM HELVIG - IN ETD 0730/30TH
============================================
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. 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:
What's at stake with Savannah dredging?
Sunday, November 27, 2011
The Port of Savannah has leapfrogged ahead of Charleston to become one of
the nation's busiest ports, and some fear that deepening the Savannah River
could tip the scales further in Georgia's favor.
DHEC’s decision to issue a water quality permit to dredge the port of
Savannah is the latest skirmish in a more than decade-old dispute.
An Army Corps of Engineers study said "the proposed deepening of the
Savannah harbor would not take business from another port," and that
increased shipping will require deepening both the Savannah and Charleston
ports.
But when the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control's board on
Nov. 10 approved permits to deepen the Savannah River -- which South
Carolina and Georgia share -- critics said the decision would harm the
environment and the Port of Charleston.
"It's an attack on South Carolina's economy and our workers," said Liana
Orr, executive director of Conservatives for Truth In Politics, which is
running a TV advertisement this
weekend criticizing Republican Gov. Nikki Haley.
Haley has taken heat from Republicans and Democrats, who decry the DHEC
vote and allege Haley played a role. The governor denies influencing the
DHEC board and has said the permit was appropriate.
Environmental groups and South Carolina's Savannah River Maritime
Commission plan to challenge the permit. Meanwhile, the Corps of Engineers
is pushing toward completing a plan for the deepening next year.
Here's a look at what's going on, and what's at stake:
Question: What does the Georgia Ports Authority want to do at the Port of
Savannah, and how does it affect South Carolina?
Answer: The authority wants to deepen 36 miles of the Savannah River to 48
feet, at an estimated cost of more than $600 million. The river is
currently dredged to 42 feet.
The proposal would allow larger ships to call at Savannah's port in Garden
City. It would make the authorized depth of the channel 3 feet deeper than
Charleston's 45 feet, although those depths are not exactly comparable due
to the influence of tides and salinity.
The Savannah port can currently handle container ships carrying up to about
6,500 TEUs (a TEU is the equivalent of a 20-foot-long container).
Charleston, with its deeper water, in August received the cargo ship MSC
Sindy, which can hold 9,580 TEUs. Both ports depend on high tides to
accommodate the largest ships and are racing to deepen their channels as an
expansion of the Panama Canal draws closer. The canal expansion is expected
to bring more cargo traffic from Asia on larger, heavier ships to the U.S.
East Coast.
The Savannah dredging would also alter the environment in such a way that
machinery would be needed to inject oxygen into parts of the river. It
would affect adjoining marsh areas, most of which are located in South
Carolina.
Bill Sapp, senior attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center, put
it this way: "In Georgia you have the economic impacts with a fair amount
of environmental harm, while in S.C. you have significant environmental
harm with limited economic benefit."
Q: Are the Georgia and South Carolina ports rivals whose gains come at each
other's expense or allies, as both states seek federal funding for port
improvements that could boost commerce across the region?
A: South Carolina is seeking federal money to dredge the Port of Charleston
to at least 50 feet, while Georgia wants to dredge the Savannah River to 48
feet. Charleston's proposed deepening is at the beginning of a multiyear
study process, while Savannah's began in 1996 and is due for a final
decision next year. Both need funding.
Charleston and Savannah do compete for shipping business, and it's a race
the Georgia port has been winning in recent years. Charleston has deeper
water and can handle much larger container ships, while Georgia's port
enjoys proximity to distribution facilities and to Atlanta.
Both ports need hundreds of millions of dollars to deepen their channels.
With a congressional ban on earmarks in place and pressure to reduce the
federal deficit, there's little federal funding available.
Senators from both states -- along with S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley and the
Georgia Ports Authority -- said coastal states need to work together to
secure federal funds for port projects.
The Georgia Ports Authority passed a resolution in January supporting
Charleston's deepening project, and this month, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal
and U.S. Sens. Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson pledged to support
efforts to deepen both the Port of Savannah and the Port of Charleston.
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham has also said both states need to work together.
In contrast, South Carolina's General Assembly in February passed a
resolution opposing the Savannah deepening, and this month, Charleston's
legislative delegation voted to back the state's Savannah River Maritime
Commission in a challenge to the DHEC decision to allow the dredging.
Q: What about the proposed Jasper Ocean Terminal on the South Carolina side
of the Savannah River? Would the Georgia deepening project help or hurt Jasper?
A: The Jasper terminal is a plan that Georgia and South Carolina have been
jointly pursuing to eventually build a multibillion-dollar port in
economically deprived Jasper County. The location is about six miles closer
to the ocean than Garden City. It is now a dredge disposal site with little
infrastructure and no utility lines.
South Carolina port officials have said repeatedly that in order for the
Jasper port to be viable, it would need to be served by a shipping channel
at least 50 feet deep and capable of handling ship traffic in both
directions at once.
If the plan to deepen the Savannah River to 48 feet goes ahead, the
prospect for a 50-foot-deep channel to serve Jasper would be remote, and
the fate of Jasper in doubt, said State Ports Authority officials,
including Chief Executive Jim Newsome.
"I don't think a terminal will be built in Jasper County, with a $5 billion
investment, unless there is 50 feet and two-way traffic," Newsome said in a
recent interview.
Georgia port officials said the Savannah River deepening project would be a
boon for the Jasper project, because the dredge material could be used to
build up the Jasper site to a height needed for a port. The use of dredge
spoils as fill material would save $300 million, in Georgia's view.
Billy Birdwell, spokesman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Savannah
office, said the Savannah River deepening is designed to handle the large
container ships that will come with the widening of the Panama Canal, and
with the Jasper site also located on the Savannah River, "that means the
deeper channel to the ocean would already be there."
Q: The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control's board reversed
a DHEC staff decision by approving the Savannah River dredging. Why?
A: The board's decision came after Georgia agreed to protect nearly 1,700
acres of marsh in South Carolina, and guaranteed 50 years of funding for
oxygen-injecting machines in sections of the river where dredging will
reduce levels of dissolved oxygen. Haley said Georgia "met the benchmarks"
necessary for the approval.
"I stand behind my DHEC board," Haley said at a Charleston maritime
industry event this month. "They did what's right."
The governor also said the Corps of Engineers informed the state that the
project would go ahead with or without the DHEC approval. As a result, any
concessions from Georgia were a bonus for the state, she said.
Q: Was DHEC's approval needed or, as Haley has suggested, would the
Savannah dredging have gone ahead regardless?
A: The idea that the project could proceed without approval from South
Carolina is more of a legal theory than a fact.
The federal Clean Water Act gives states a role in certifying whether a
project would be damaging to waters within their boundaries. The Army
Corps, which sought the DHEC's approval, takes the position that it will
comply with state requirements and federal law "whenever practical."
An attempt to move the project forward without DHEC's OK would likely have
set the stage for legal challenges.
Q: What happens next?
A: The Corps of Engineers is moving ahead with the deepening project, and
the final environmental impact statement is expected next year.
Meanwhile, South Carolina's Savannah River Maritime Commission, which
includes state lawmakers, is challenging DHEC's authority to issue the
water quality permit. The S.C. attorney general has agreed to represent the
commission in the dispute, but work on the Georgia deepening plan is moving
ahead.
As the regulatory process and legal challenges proceed, the issues have
also become highly politicized.
Some critics of the DHEC's decision have suggested Haley steered her
appointed board's vote, after raising $15,000 at a fundraising event in
Georgia less than two weeks earlier. The criticism has been bipartisan,
with Democrats and Republicans both criticizing the governor for the DHEC
decision, which Haley denies influencing.
Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler, R-Gaffney, scheduled a Senate
committee hearing Tuesday to probe the matter, but Haley said she would not
attend. The governor has scheduled a press conference for Monday to address
the controversy.
================================================================
CURRENT ISSUES:
FUTURE/ONGOING ISSUES:
12/08/11 - TBA - PROPELLER CLUB - PORT HOLIDAY PARTY
2018 - ETA FOR NEW CHARLESTON PORT TERMINAL TO BE COMPLETED
===========================================================
SECURITY LEVEL: MARSEC 1
CURRENT HURRICANE STATUS - 4 – NO STORMS EXPECTED
===================================================================
Tides for Charleston (Customhouse Wharf) starting with July 21, 2011.
Day High Tide Height Sunrise Moon Time % Moon
/Low Time Feet Sunset Visible
M 28 Low 3:37 AM -0.3 7:01 AM Rise 10:11 AM 9
28 High 10:08 AM 6.5 5:14 PM Set 8:56 PM
28 Low 4:24 PM 0.0
28 High 10:20 PM 5.3
Tu 29 Low 4:29 AM 0.0 7:02 AM Rise 10:53 AM 16
29 High 11:00 AM 6.1 5:14 PM Set 9:59 PM
29 Low 5:14 PM 0.2
29 High 11:14 PM 5.2
W 30 Low 5:23 AM 0.4 7:03 AM Rise 11:29 AM 25
30 High 11:52 AM 5.7 5:14 PM Set 10:58 PM
30 Low 6:05 PM 0.4
Th 1 High 12:09 AM 5.0 7:04 AM Rise 12:02 PM 35
1 Low 6:20 AM 0.7 5:13 PM Set 11:55 PM
1 High 12:43 PM 5.4
1 Low 6:57 PM 0.6
F 2 High 1:05 AM 5.0 7:05 AM Rise 12:32 PM 44
2 Low 7:19 AM 1.0 5:13 PM
2 High 1:35 PM 5.1
2 Low 7:47 PM 0.7
Sa 3 High 2:00 AM 5.0 7:06 AM Set 12:50 AM 54
3 Low 8:19 AM 1.1 5:13 PM Rise 1:01 PM
3 High 2:27 PM 4.9
3 Low 8:38 PM 0.7
Su 4 High 2:54 AM 5.1 7:06 AM Set 1:44 AM 64
4 Low 9:17 AM 1.1 5:13 PM Rise 1:30 PM
4 High 3:17 PM 4.8
4 Low 9:26 PM 0.6
M 5 High 3:45 AM 5.3 7:07 AM Set 2:38 AM 72
5 Low 10:11 AM 1.0 5:13 PM Rise 2:01 PM
5 High 4:07 PM 4.8
5 Low 10:13 PM 0.5
Tu 6 High 4:34 AM 5.5 7:08 AM Set 3:32 AM 80
6 Low 11:01 AM 0.9 5:13 PM Rise 2:34 PM
6 High 4:55 PM 4.8
6 Low 10:57 PM 0.4
W 7 High 5:20 AM 5.6 7:09 AM Set 4:27 AM 87
7 Low 11:47 AM 0.7 5:13 PM Rise 3:10 PM
7 High 5:41 PM 4.8
7 Low 11:40 PM 0.3
Th 8 High 6:04 AM 5.8 7:10 AM Set 5:22 AM 93
8 Low 12:29 PM 0.6 5:13 PM Rise 3:51 PM
8 High 6:25 PM 4.9
F 9 Low 12:22 AM 0.1 7:10 AM Set 6:16 AM 97
9 High 6:45 AM 5.9 5:14 PM Rise 4:36 PM
9 Low 1:10 PM 0.5
9 High 7:06 PM 4.9
Sa 10 Low 1:02 AM 0.1 7:11 AM Set 7:09 AM 99
10 High 7:25 AM 5.9 5:14 PM Rise 5:27 PM
10 Low 1:49 PM 0.4
10 High 7:46 PM 4.9
Su 11 Low 1:42 AM 0.0 7:12 AM Set 7:59 AM 99
11 High 8:03 AM 6.0 5:14 PM Rise 6:22 PM
11 Low 2:27 PM 0.3
11 High 8:24 PM 4.8
===================================================================
OFFSHORE FORECAST
Synopsis...A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE WEST TODAY...AND PUSH
THROUGH THE WATERS TONIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE WILL THEN SLOWLY BUILD BACK INTO
THE REGION ON TUESDAY...AND REMAIN THE DOMINANT WEATHER FEATURE THROUGH
FRIDAY NIGHT.
This Afternoon...SE winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts to 30 kt. Seas 4 to 5
ft...building to 5 to 7 ft this afternoon. A chance of showers late this
morning and early afternoon...then scattered showers with isolated tstms late.
Tonight...S winds 20 to 25 kt...becoming W after midnight. Seas 5 to 8
ft...subsiding to 5 to 7 ft after midnight. Showers with a slight chance of
tstms.
Tue...W winds 10 to 15 kt with gusts to 20 kt...increasing to 20 to 25 kt.
Seas 4 to 5 ft. A chance of showers in the morning.
Tue Night...W winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts to 25 kt. Seas 3 to 4 ft.
Wed...W winds 10 to 15 kt with gusts to 20 kt. Seas 3 to 4 ft.
Wed Night...NW winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 2 to 3 ft.
Thu...N winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 2 to 3 ft.
Thu Night...N winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 2 to 3 ft.
Fri...N winds 5 to 10 kt. Seas 2 to 3 ft.
Fri Night...N winds 5 to 10 kt. Seas 2 to 3 ft.
| | Notice posted on Monday, November 28, 2011 | |
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.
|
|
|
|
|