JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Coast Guard reopened with restrictions the ports of Jacksonville and Fernandina Tuesday evening, along with all other terminals and facilities.
However, the conditions of the waterways and port infrastructure are still unknown, and full assessments of the affected areas are still being conducted. The Coast Guard will enforce a temporary safety zone for these post-storm recovery operations.
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The regulated areas include:
Unless authorized by the COTP, all vessels greater than 500 gross tons are prohibited from transiting in a regulated area until a full assessment of the waterway, which is underway. Vessels desiring to transit through a regulated area may contact the COTP Jacksonville via telephone at 904-714-7557, to request authorization.
Due to potential effects from Hurricane Irma throughout the Jacksonville area, mariners are urged to transit with caution considering the possibility of aids to navigation discrepancies or other hazards to navigation. If discovered, please report any of these issues to the Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville.
Mariners can view the latest port updates on the Coast Guard's Homeport site.
Brunswick port reopens
As of 3 p.m. Wednesday, the Coast Guard Captain of the Port has reopened the Port of Brunswick with no restrictions.
Due to potential effects from Hurricane Irma throughout the Brunswick area, mariners are urged to transit with caution considering the possibility of aids to navigation discrepancies or other hazards to navigation. If discovered, please report any of these issues to Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Savannah at (912) 652-4353 x 235 or the Command Duty Officer at (912) 247-0073.
Crew helps in Jacksonville
The crew of Charleston-based Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton arrived off the coast of Jacksonville Tuesday morning and the crew began conducting a preliminary assessment of damage from Hurricane Irma to the entrance to the St. Johns River.
The Hamilton crew deployed a 35-foot boat to survey the port, whose five-man crew traveled up the river, assessed the status of aids to navigation, surveyed the waterway for hazards and made contact with Coast Guard Station Mayport, in order to provide a clear picture of the damage for Sector Jacksonville.