NEW ORLEANS — The Coast Guard, along with partner agencies, and private organizations are scheduled to hold a mass rescue exercise Wednesday on the Mississippi River in New Orleans.
The Mississippi River is scheduled to be closed to all vessel traffic from 8:45 a.m. to 11 a.m. near Algiers Point between mile markers 93.5-94.5. Further information regarding the temporary river closure can be found at Pages – My Homeport Content (uscg.mil). The exercise will take place near the Algiers Point and Canal Street ferry terminals and surrounding areas. The exercise is scheduled to end around 12:30 p.m. During the various phases of the exercise, the public can expect to see increased activity by multiple response helicopters, boats, and vehicles around the ferry terminals. Due to safety concerns for exercise participants and aircraft, the use of drones in the exercise area is prohibited.
The exercise will impact ferry service between Algiers Point – Canal Street. RTA ferry service will be shut down from 8:45 a.m. to approximately 1 p.m. (dependent on conclusion of exercise and staging for return to service). During the ferry service shut down, RTA will provide bus bridge service between Canal Street and the Algiers Point terminal. At Canal Street, the pick-up point will be at Canal Street and Convention Center Boulevard. The ferry schedule can be found at New Orleans Regional Transit Authority – Rider Tools (norta.com).
The purpose of the exercise is to promote effective coordination and communication between response agencies during a large-scale maritime emergency. More than 30 public and private organizations are scheduled to participate in the exercise.
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