Coast Guard closes portions of the Mississippi, Illinois and Missouri rivers

ST. LOUIS - The Coast Guard Captain of the Port Sector Upper Mississippi River has closed the following sections of the Mississippi, Missouri and Illinois rivers, in addition to previous closures:

* Copperas Creek, Ill. is closed to all recreational and commercial traffic from mile marker 136 to 138.

* The Illinois River is closed to all recreational and commercial traffic from Peoria, Ill. mile marker 160 to Chillecothe, Ill. mile marker 181.

* The Upper Mississippi River is closed to recreational traffic from Chester, MO. mile marker 109.9 to 185.4.

* The Missouri River is closed to recreational traffic from mile marker 200 near Boonville, Mo. to the mouth of the Missouri River mile marker 0 to 200.

* The Illinois River is closed to recreational traffic from Grafton, Ill. mile marker 0.0 to 9.9 and Beardstown, Ill. mile marker 80.3 to 199.9.

Coast Guard closes portions of the Mississippi, Illinois and Missouri rivers

ST. LOUIS - The Coast Guard Captain of the Port Sector Upper Mississippi River has closed the following sections of the Mississippi, Missouri and Illinois rivers, in addition to previous closures:

* Copperas Creek, Ill. is closed to all recreational and commercial traffic from mile marker 136 to 138.
* The Illinois River is closed to all recreational and commercial traffic from Peoria, Ill. mile marker160.0 to Chillecothe, Ill. mile marker 181.
* The Upper Mississippi River is closed to recreational traffic from Chester, Mo. mile marker 109.9 to 185.4.
* The Missouri River is closed to recreational traffic from mile marker 200 near Boonville, Mo. to the mouth of the Missouri River mile marker 0 to 200.
* The Illinois River is closed to recreational traffic from Grafton, Ill. mile marker 0.0 to 9.9 and Liverpool, IL mile marker 129.0 to 199.9.

The COTP has opened the following portions of the Upper Mississippi River Missouri and Illinois rivers to recreational traffic:

* mile marker 273.4 at Clarksville, Mo. to mile marker 301.1 on the Upper Mississippi River.
* mile marker 300 at Waverly, Mo. to mile marker 200.0 on the Missouri River.

Coast Guard enforces license requirements on the Lake of the Ozarks

ST. LOUIS - The Coast Guard responded to reports of unlicensed commercial passenger vessels operating on Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, Mo., on Tuesday.

After checking eight operators and vessels, Coast Guard investigators identified two operators that were not properly licensed to carry passengers. The unlicensed operators were ordered to terminate operations until obtaining proper licensing.

Commercial passenger vessel operations are subject to federal regulations, which include minimum safety equipment and licensing standards on Lake of the Ozarks under Title 46, Section 8903 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations. Failure to meet licensing regulations can result in fines up to 1,000 dollars.

“Licensing and inspections regulations are established for the public’s safety. We have a responsibility to enforce these regulations on the Lake of the Ozarks and the Coast Guard intends to conduct future, similar operations on both an announced and unannounced basis,” said Capt. Steve Hudson, commander Coast Guard Sector Upper Mississippi River.

Sector Upper Mississippi River to hold Change of Command

ST. LOUIS - Coast Guard Capt. Sharon Richey will transfer command of Coast Guard Sector Upper Mississippi River to Capt. Steve Hudson in a chage-of-command ceremony at the Missouri Athletic Club, Friday, June 25, at 10 a.m.

Richey has served as commanding officer of Sector Upper Mississippi River since July 21, 2006. Rear Adm. Joel R. Whitehead, commander of the Eighth Coast Guard District, is scheduled to preside over the event.

Sector Upper Mississippi River’s area of responsibility is the largest of any Sector in the lower 48 states, covering Wyoming, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Iowa, as well as parts of Missouri, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois. It encompasses over 2,000 miles of navigable rivers and 1,800 miles of tributary waterways including the Missouri, Illinois and Upper Mississippi Rivers. The Sector’s area of responsibility includes 33 locks and dams, 238 bridges, and 7 major population centers. Sector personnel administer a large number of programs in support of the Commandant’s mission statement goals of Maritime Safety, Maritime Mobility, Maritime Security, National Defense, and Environmental Protection.

Captain Hudson is reporting from 17th Coast Guard District in Alaska where he served as Chief of Prevention and was responsible responsible for marine safety, waterways management and the USCG Auxiliary in Alaska, including direct supervision 6 Buoy Tenders, and 6 Loran Stations.

Following the change-of-command ceremony, a retirement ceremony for Richey will be conducted.

Coast Guard issues night restrictions for portion of Mississippi River

ST. LOUIS (D8 Public Affairs) - The Coast Guard Captain of the Port at Sector Upper Mississippi River, has issued a waterway closure to all vessel traffic in the Upper Mississippi River during the night hours from 8:30 p.m. until 6 a.m. from mile marker 486 to mile marker 488 near Rock Island, Ill., today due to a sunken barge.

The waterway will be opened during daylight hours to all vessel traffic, but will only permit one vessel at a time to transit until salvage of the barge is complete.

The cause of the incident is under investigation.

Coast Guard closes Missouri River, St. Louis Harbor

ST LOUIS - The Coast Guard closed the Missouri River from mile marker 179 to 184, which includes the St. Louis harbor, due to high water and navigational hazards at approximately 9 a.m. yesterday.

This section is closed to all recreational vessels and commercial traffic with exceptions made for vessels with two or fewer barges. Such exceptions can only transit during daylight hours or at Coast Guard Sector Upper Mississippi’s discretion.

The river is also closed to recreational vessels between mile markers 168.7 and 437.1 until further notice.