The Corps of Engineers Mississippi Valley New Orleans (MVN) continues working to finalize Southwest Pass Hopper Dredge Rental Contract #6-2018 with Manson Construction. Manson intends to respond to this contract with the hopper dredge NEWPORT. The NEWPORT is enroute and expected to commence dredging operations in Southwest Pass later this week. The industry cutterhead dredge R.S. WEEKS (Weeks Marine) continues dredging 12 million cubic yards (mcy) of material from the Hopper Dredge Disposal Area (HDDA). The MVN will advertise a Southwest Pass Cutterhead Dredge Rental contract for an assignment in Southwest Pass this Thursday (November 29, 2018).
TRANSIT RESTRICTION SOUTHWEST PASS (SWP):
The Bar Pilots implemented a flocculation based transit restriction for all inbound vessels arriving Southwest Pass with a freshwater draft of 38-feet or greater. Inbound vessels with a draft of 38-feet or greater are only allowed to enter SWP “between 3 hours after low tide, to 3 hours after high tide at SWP.” The restriction became effective at 1000 hours today, Monday, November 26, 2018. The official notice as released by the Bar Pilots is attached, please refer to it for complete details.
INDUSTRY HOPPER DREDGE(S) IN SOUTHWEST PASS (SWP):
NEWPORT: Manson Construction’s hopper dredge NEWPORT is expected to begin dredging in Southwest Pass by Friday, October 30, 2018 under SWP Hopper Dredge Rental Contract #6-2018.
The Carrollton Gauge reading at 1300 hours today was 11.84 feet the 24-hour change feature was unavailable. The National Weather Service’s Lower Mississippi River Extended Streamflow Prediction indicates the river stage levels will remain steady for the next few days and then begin a slow but steadily fall until reaching 9.3 feet on December 24, 2018.
The graph below is reproduced from NOAA’s National Weather Service website and represents an experimental product to account for the complexity of accurately predicting long-range precipitation. This forecast projects stage levels based on expected precipitation for 2 days (top) and 16 days (bottom) and was developed within the North American Ensemble Forecast System (NAEFS) computer model and highlights Quantitative Precipitation Forecasts (QPF). Along with the forecasts, a shaded area is also provided to indicate uncertainty for the forecast each day in the future. These plots are experimental and not an official forecast product.
Please see the attached report for complete details on dredge assignments.
Lower Mississippi River (LMR) Dredging Update 112618
Members,
The Corps of Engineers Mississippi Valley New Orleans (MVN) continues working to finalize Southwest Pass Hopper Dredge Rental Contract #6-2018 with Manson Construction. Manson intends to respond to this contract with the hopper dredge NEWPORT. The NEWPORT is enroute and expected to commence dredging operations in Southwest Pass later this week. The industry cutterhead dredge R.S. WEEKS (Weeks Marine) continues dredging 12 million cubic yards (mcy) of material from the Hopper Dredge Disposal Area (HDDA). The MVN will advertise a Southwest Pass Cutterhead Dredge Rental contract for an assignment in Southwest Pass this Thursday (November 29, 2018).
TRANSIT RESTRICTION SOUTHWEST PASS (SWP):
The Bar Pilots implemented a flocculation based transit restriction for all inbound vessels arriving Southwest Pass with a freshwater draft of 38-feet or greater. Inbound vessels with a draft of 38-feet or greater are only allowed to enter SWP “between 3 hours after low tide, to 3 hours after high tide at SWP.” The restriction became effective at 1000 hours today, Monday, November 26, 2018. The official notice as released by the Bar Pilots is attached, please refer to it for complete details.
INDUSTRY HOPPER DREDGE(S) IN SOUTHWEST PASS (SWP):
NEWPORT: Manson Construction’s hopper dredge NEWPORT is expected to begin dredging in Southwest Pass by Friday, October 30, 2018 under SWP Hopper Dredge Rental Contract #6- 2018.
CUTTERHEAD DREDGE AT THE HOPPER DREDGE DISPOSAL AREA (HDDA):
R.S. WEEKS: The industry cutterhead dredge R.S. WEEK has removed approximately 950,000 cubic yards of material from the HDDA since starting the project on November 3, 2018. The contract calls for Weeks Marine to remove 12 mcy of material from the HDDA. The material is being beneficially used in the Pass-a-Loutre Wildlife Management Area on the eastern side of the Ship Channel. The beneficial use of material removed from the HDDA is expected to restore approximately 1,000 acres of new marsh in this critical deltaic environment.
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:
RE: SOUTHWEST PASS, TRANSIT RESTRICTION DUE TO FLOCCULATION
The Bar Pilots for the Port of New Orleans restrict inbound vessels with a deep fresh water draft of Thirty-Eight feet (38) or greater to transit Southwest Pass from the Sea Buoy (Entrance Lighted Whistle Buoy “SW”) to mile 1.5 above Head of Passes “between 3 hours after low tide, to 3 hours after high tide at SWP”.
The restriction becomes effective at 1000 hours on November 26, 2018.
Nothing in the recommendations should be construed as limiting a pilot in the exercise of their judgment.
ASSOCIATED BRANCH PILOTS
