Please find below Mississippi River daily report for September 30, 2025
A Daily Publication of the New Orleans Board of Trade
06:55 hrs. - 09/30/2025
New information (Except for the Air Draft, River Stages, and Vessel Information) is highlighted in Green
General Information: The Controlling Draft for Deep Draft Vessels is 50 Feet. There are three dredges working in the crossings above New Orleans. Alliance Anchorage is closed and one way traffic from Mile 63.65 - Mile 63.91 is in effect due to construction of the saltwater barrier.
Pilot Recommendations: Bar Pilots: Recommended maximum loading draft: 50 Feet. Crescent Pilots: Recommended maximum loading draft: 50 Feet. The Crescent Pilots Safe Navigation committee recommends that any vessel with a LOA of 950’ or greater or a beam of 140’ or greater be assigned two pilots while transiting between Point Celeste Light, Mile 52.8 and Southport Light, Mile 104.7 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 - 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.
Coast Guard Notices: Low Water Safety Advisory: LMR MM 219 TO MM 237 AHP LMR (12’ and Falling) 1. As a result of the Baton Rouge gauge expected to read 12 feet and continue to fall, the COTP New Orleans has issued a low water safety advisory for all waters of the Lower Mississippi River (LMR) from Mile 167 Above Head of Passes (AHP) to Mile 303 AHP. This safety advisory is effective immediately with the following provisions in accordance with the Waterways Action Plan Baton Rouge Annex:
2. LMR MM 167 – 303:
A. Commercial vessel operators shall be aware of falling river-level conditions and monitor Coast Guard safety broadcasts announcing known navigation hazards.
B. Tow sizes and vessel drafts from cargo loading should be adjusted as necessary to meet decreasing channel depths.
C. Pilots and Masters of oceangoing vessels should review facility docking procedures prior to arrival in port.
D. All vessels should transit in the charted navigational channel to the greatest extent possible.
E. All vessels should consider staffing vessels with their most experienced crews.
F. Report missing aids to navigation to the Sector New Orleans Command Center at (504) 365-2209.
3. 81 Mile Point, LMR MM 177 – 179:
A. In accordance with 33 CFR 161.65(e), all vessels moving or intending to move in the 81 Mile Point VTS Special area shall comply with the reporting requirements detailed in the VTS LMR User Manual or in 33 CFR 161.65 by contacting “New Orleans Traffic” on VHF FM Channel 05A.
B. Mariners are also advised of the increased possibility of shoaling in this area and should use extreme caution while transiting.
4. College Town Light, LMR MM 225 – 228.3:
A. All towing vessels are advised to keep flat on the bank and provide a wide berth to deep-draft vessel traffic.
5. Highway 190 Bridge LMR MM 234:
A. When navigating the Upper Baton Rouge (190) bridge, mariners should refer to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Lower Mississippi River Chart No. 73 which states, that the Port Allen span is navigable when the Baton Rouge River gauge is above 15’. Current river levels do not support using this span.
For further information, contact the following: Vessel Traffic Service Lower Mississippi River: (504) 365-2514, VHF-FM CH 1005 (05A), CH 12, CH 67 Coast Guard Baton Rouge Waterways Management: (225) 298-5400 x 230 Coast Guard Sector New Orleans Waterways Management: (504) 365-2278 Coast Guard Sector Command Center New Orleans (24 hours): (504) 365-2209
VTS Safety Measure – Neptune Pass Stone Work – MM 23-24, AHP Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) Lower Mississippi River, in accordance with the Navigation Safety Regulations, Code of Federal Regulations Title 33, Subpart 161.11, will establish a series of VTS measures for all waters of the Lower Mississippi River from Mile Marker (MM) 23.0 to MM 24.0, Above Head of Passes (AHP). These measures are needed to protect persons and vessels from the potential safety hazards associated with the work to construct the Neptune Pass Inlet Structure, and are in effect with the following provisions:
Starting on May 5th, 2025, at 6:00 a.m. and continuing through October 5th, 2025: • All vessels shall transit at their slowest safe speed between MM 23 and MM 24. • All vessels shall avoid overtaking or meeting within 1,000 feet of the work barges. • Ostrica Anchorage will be CLOSED for the duration of this work. • These restrictions are in place 24/7.
Work will take place during daylight hours. During working hours, the anchor spread will be extended at a maximum of 600 feet from the Left Descending Bank of the Mississippi River.
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.
U.S. Corps of Engineers: VELOCITY READING (NEW ORLEANS) 1.4 Knots Mississippi River - Projection- Based off 48 Hours of Forecast Rainfall Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center - Low Water Advisory Recent rainfall is bringing some temporary relief to the stages on the Lower Ohio with small rises on the Lower Ohio, Chester and increased releases from Barkley/Kentucky dams. On the Middle Mississippi we also have a small rise on the Arkansas which will contribute some to the flows in the near term, merging with the rise coming from further up the Mississippi River.
This will help to keep Cairo above 10 ft until around October 5th and will work its way down river to generate improved stages over the next couple of weeks with Memphis not falling below -8.0 ft until mid October.
There is not much rain in the long term 16-day outlook though to persist these rises and the 16 16 day and official 2 day Mississippi River forecasts show similar outlooks.
Saltwater Barrier Construction: Construction of the barrier is underway. Initial plans for the barrier, which will be located at Mile 63.7 AHP, are to build it to 55 feet below the water line. Once construction to 55 feet is complete, the Corps will monitor salinity levels to determine if additional height is required. If additional height is required a notch in the barrier will be provided to allow for the passage of deep draft vessels. MARINE SAFETY INFORMATION BULLETIN VTS Safety Measure – Saltwater Barrier Sill Construction –MM 63.7 AHP LMR The Captain of the Port New Orleans is issuing Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) Safety Measures to protect persons and vessels from the potential safety hazards associated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ construction of a Saltwater Barrier Sill at Lower Mississippi River Mile Marker (MM) 63.7 Above Head of Passes (AHP). The following channel restrictions will be in effect beginning on September 28 at 10:00 a.m. 1) All vessels are limited to one way traffic from MM 63.65 to 63.91 AHP confined to a channel 900’ wide. The channel follows the Left Descending Bank (LDB) and is marked on its West side by four white buoys with fixed white all-around lights. - All vessels transiting this zone shall check-in with and take direction from the Contact Pilot onboard the J.S. CHATRY 30 minutes prior to arrival on Channel 67 & 72. - All vessels shall transit at their slowest safe speed between MM 63.5 to 65 AHP. - Alliance Anchorage is closed to all traffic. - The Contact Pilot is the Coast Guard’s Designated Representative. - These measures will remain in effect until rescinded/adjusted at a future date. The channel buoy locations are as follows: 1. 29 42 10.6446 N 089 58 43.5696 W 2. 29 42 07.5379 N 089 58 41.7516 W 3. 29 41 55.5218 N 089 58 34.6319 W 4. 29 41 53.7697 N 089 58 33.6553 W Contact pilots are on-site 24/7 aboard the dredge throughout operations and can be contacted with the following: Bruno L. Touchard (Day Shift) 985-215-9798 Damon R. Williams (Night Shift) 504-756-9821 Johnathan Crockett is the Project Manager on site and can be reached at 224-221-9834. All are reminded that future draft restrictions may be required as a result of the sill’s final height. The U.S. Coast Guard will coordinate closely with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide updates as soon as that information becomes available.
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.
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