CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas − The Coast Guard Captain of the Port of Corpus Christi continued to open waterways and lift restrictions within the COTP zone, Friday.
As of 1:00 p.m. the following ports and waterways are open:
- The Port of Brownsville is open with no restrictions.
- The Port of Corpus Christi is open with the following restrictions: All vessels requiring a First Class Pilot must conduct one-way transits only, transit during daylight hours only and have two pilots for each transit on vessels over 700 feet, all vessels over 40,000 gross registered tons and all vessels with a draft over 35-feet.
- The Calhoun Port Authority/Matagorda Ship Channel is open with the following restrictions: All vessels are restricted to a draft not to exceed 31 feet, and are to coordinate closely with the Matagorda Bay Pilots to avoid, if possible, any meeting or overtaking situations. All vessels requiring a First Class Pilot must conduct one-way transits only and transit during daylight hours only.
- The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway is open with no restrictions between mile marker 540 (Corpus Christi) west to mile marker 668 (Brownsville).
- The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway is open between mile marker 465 (Matagorda Bay) west to mile marker 540 (Corpus Christi) with all vessels restricted to a draft not to exceed 11-feet
- The Port of Victoria/Victoria Barge Canal is open with no restrictions.
Mariners are advised that although some channel surveys have been conducted, the Coast Guard has not completed channel surveys in all inlets, harbors, and channels to confirm safe transit. Mariners are to proceed with caution as navigational aids may be missing or off station and debris, shoaling and hazardous substances may be present.
Mariners are reminded the Corpus Christi Inner Harbor security zone, 33 CFR 165.809, remains in effect during severe weather. Recreational, commercial fishing and passenger vessels are not permitted to enter the security zone without permission from the COTP. Vessels must have a prearranged agreement with the COTP to enter the Inner Harbor.
“Lifting the draft restriction limitation for the Port of Corpus Christi is a major milestone as we recover from the impacts of Hurricane Harvey,” said Capt. Jason Smith, alternate captain of the port in Corpus Christi. “The U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have been working side-by-side for the past three weeks to get the channel surveyed and where necessary dredged back to pre-hurricane depths. We extremely appreciate the cooperation provided by the Aransas Corpus Christi Pilot Association and the patience demonstrated by all waterway users while this limitation has been put in place.”
