Notices

Good day,

Please find below Mississippi River daily report for January 9, 2024

A Daily Publication of the New Orleans Board of Trade

07:15 hrs. - 01/09/2024

New information (Except for the Air Draft, River Stages, and Vessel Information)is highlighted in Green

The Controlling Draft for Deep Draft Vessels is 50 Feet
There is one dredge working in the crossings above New Orleans and one dredge working in Southwest Pass

Pilot Recommendations:
Bar Pilots: Recommended maximum loading draft: 50 Feet.

Crescent Pilots: Recommended maximum loading draft: 50 Feet.

NOBRA Pilots: Recommended loading draft is as follows: 50 feet from New Orleans to Mile 175 ; 47 Feet from Mile 175 - Mile 180; 45 feet from Mile 180 to Mile 234. Vessels with a draft of 41 feet or greater are required to transit the Baton Rouge Harbor (Mile 180 - Mile 234) during daylight hours only.

NOBRA Pilots – Revetment Operations: In addition to the restrictions highlighted in the navigational restrictions chart below, the NOBRA Pilots will put the following into effect during the operations at Manchac and St. Gabriel. “Any ship 41 feet or greater choosing to traverse the restricted zone at nighttime between NM 180 AHP through NM 234 AHP shall utilize two pilots. The first pilot will accept the original orders and apply the change rules applicable to their order. The second pilot ordered will be assigned to northbound vessels at a Burnside Change. The same will be applicable for any second pilot making a southbound change at Burnside. The second pilot on a southbound change shall depart the vessel at Burnside.”

NOBRA Pilots - High Interest Vessels
Vessels classified as HIGH Interest by the Coast Guard, A Federal Authority, Any State Authority, or the NOBRA Board of Directors, may require 2 pilots and be limited to daylight transit only along the NOBRA Route. Any customer of the NOBRA Pilots, docks, berths, moorings, agents, owner, or owner representative may petition the NOBRA Board of Directors to establish or remove the HIV classification. PER THE NOBRA PILOTS, A VESSEL ONLY REQUIRING A CREW CONTROL SECURITY PLAN (CCSP) BY THE COAST GUARD WILL NOT BE SUBJECT TO THE 2 PILOT RULE.

Federal Pilots: Recommended maximum loading draft:50 feet from the Sea Buoy to Mile 175; 45 feet from Mile 175 – Mile 232.4; and 40 feet from Mile 232.4 – Mile 233.8.

Saltwater Barrier – Mile 63.8
The construction of the barrier to 30 feet below the waterline is completed. There is a 620 foot wide by 55 foot deep gap through the barrier for navigation. Navigational buoys have been placed to assist the pilots in transiting the “gap”. One-way traffic through the area will remain in place until the river rises and scours the barrier back to normal river depths.

Lower Mississippi River Bridges Air-Draft Calculations:

The above clearances were calculated this morning using gauge readings provided by the Army Corps of Engineers. As a guide the pilots require at least an additional 3 feet of clearance for the Vessel's Air Draft. The individual pilot assigned to the vessel will make the final determination of the vessel's allowable clearance. Actual clearance should be verified when ordering pilot services.

NOAA PORTS INFORMATION:
To Access the NOAA Ports System for the Lower Mississippi River, go to the following link: http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/ports/index.shtml?port=lm

National Information:
Marsec Level – 1

VESSELS SCHEDULED TO ARRIVE IN THE NEXT 24 HOURS:

VESSELS SCEHDULED TO DEPART IN THE NEXT 24 HOURS:

Weather / Marine Zone Forecast

U.S. Corps of Engineers:
VELOCITY READING (NEW ORLEANS) - 1.5 Knots
Mississippi River - Projection- Based off 48 Hours of Forecast Rainfall

Mississippi River - NOLA Projection- Based off 16 Days of Forecast Rainfall (Experimental)-

Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center Guidance:
Beneficial rainfall has occurred over parts of the Ohio, Missouri, and middle Mississippi Valleys and rises are expected on the lower Ohio and lower Mississippi Rivers.

The lower Ohio River at Cairo, IL has been fluctuating between 7 and 9 feet over the last week. The stage reading this morning was 9.2 feet. The lower Ohio River at Cairo, IL is forecast to rise over 6 feet and crest at 15.5 feet by early next week. If the stage at Cairo, IL rises above 15 feet, this would be the first time it has reached this height since the middle of August.

The lower Mississippi River continues to see low water conditions with the lowest levels occurring between Vicksburg, MS and Natchez, MS. Locations downstream should see the lowest levels from this current fall over the next couple of days.

Minor rises on the lower Arkansas River have kept the lower Mississippi River between Arkansas City, AR to Vicksburg, MS from falling any further.

The rises from the Ohio and middle Mississippi Rivers will continue downstream on the lower Mississippi River over the next few weeks and crests will not occur until the second week of January.

The 16 day future rainfall model is showing slightly higher stages for next week's crest on the lower Ohio River and the model keeps Cairo, IL above 10 feet through the third week of January.

Since the river forecast is showing some decent rises on the lower Ohio River, we will pause our updates through the remainder of the year and update again if low water conditions resume after the rise in January.

Weather Information:
15-Day Weather Forecast:
New Orleans area 15-Day Forecast: http://www.accuweather.com/us/la/new-orleans/70112/forecast-15day.asp?partner=accuweather&traveler=0&zipchg=1&metric=0
Baton Rouge area 15-Day Forecast: http://www.accuweather.com/us/la/baton-rouge/70801/forecast-15day.asp?partner=accuweather&traveler=0&zipchg=1&metric=0

NOAA Fog Forecast:

Port / Terminal Restrictions

Coast Guard Notices:
Scheduled Navigation Restrictions:

Disclaimer: For quality assurance purposes please note well that while the information contained in this website is regularly vetted for accuracy it is not intended to replace the local knowledge or expertise pertaining to port conditions of our marine operations personnel.