Page 6. MAINE COASTAL NEWS November 2014 Minutes of the Port Safety Forum September 17 Minutes
Location: NH Department of Environmen- tal Services (Conference Room); NHDES Portsmouth Regional Offi ce; Portsmouth, NH 03801 1. Introductions and Administration: Introductions – The meeting was called
to order at 10:10 by the Port Safety Forum Co-Chair John Henshaw with Captain Bri- an Gilda as the Co-Chair representing the Coast Guard. A quorum was comprised of 34 individuals. Review and Approval of the June 18, 2014 Port Safety Forum Meeting Minutes – Hearing no amendments or objections to the content of the June 18, 2014 minutes, Mr. Henshaw accepted the minutes as approved. There were no updates or additions to the agenda.
2. Piscataqua Bridge Presentation: Mr. Jeff Folsom (MaineDOT) delivered
a brief regarding the Sarah Long Bridge re- placement. The project is led by MaineDOT. Several issues were identifi ed as defi cient or obsolete with the current bridge including: the horizontal clearance; the alignment of the bridge; and the vertical clearance of the closed span. The new bridge will seek to improve these issues with a revised design. Spe- cifically, MaineDOT reviewed several alignment options and worked closely with the Portsmouth Pilots to improve the bridge alignment to be closer to 90° to the chan- nel. The fi nal agreed upon angle reduces the skewed passage of the ship through the bridge from 25° to 15°. When coupled with the wider horizontal span of 300 feet will greatly improve net horizontal clearance from 175 feet (existing) to 250 feet between fenders which will allow ships to safely transit the bridge span with tugs alongside. The tower height will remain about the same as the existing structure. MaineDOT also reviewed a history of
lifts and determined that about 68% of lifts were to 50 feet (above mean high water)
or less. The replacement team therefore is designing the new bridge to have a “closed” vertical clearance of 56 feet which will im- prove traffi c fl ow and reduce the need for bridge lifts. The reduction in bridge lifts will reduce wear and tear on the bridge gear. The new bridge will have an open vertical clearance of 135 feet at mean high water. The bridge will also be equipped with a
lower rail span which will be used approx- imately twice per year for Navy use. The rail span, when employed, will reduce the vertical clearance to 16 feet during the very limited times the Navy requires rail service to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Most of the structure will be built of
concrete which will ease maintenance and extend longevity. The lift span will be steel construction and zinc coated and will im- prove durability against weather.
The lift
will be driven by 1 tower drive motor which will enhance operational reliability over the older generation system which employs multiple motors that sometimes cause the lift span to raise/lower inconsistently. Time Line -
Mobilization - Site mobilization may com- mence as early as the Fall of 2014. Completion - Final completion (bridge in service) is projected to be June 2018. Closure - The bridge could be closed to vehicle traffi c for 6-9 months in 2017. Demolition - Demolition of the old bridge could start in mid-2017 with sub structure demolition extending through 2018.
3. Port Activities Update / Presentations: NERACOOS Updates – Tom Shyka introduced Jackie Ball of NERACOOS, and delivered a short update on NERACOOS initiatives: Buoy Refreshment – Gulf of Maine
data buoys are currently going through a re- placement phase during the Fall. Deployed data buoys are being replaced with refreshed buoys to ensure maintenance and reliability of their systems. Mr. Shyka highlighted that Buoy E, which is usually deployed South of Monhegan Island is currently adrift and is
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short listed for recovery and replacement. The buoy refreshment operation will extend through October and November. Text-a-Buoy – The text-a-buoy system
was discussed as a simple tool to receive important offshore buoy data via text. See
http://www.neracoos.org/datatools/text-a- buoy for more details and to sign up. New Initiatives – NERACOOS re-
ceived funding to support new initiatives including deployment and testing of nu- trient sensors in Great Bay.
NERACOOS is creating a data portal which pulls critical wind, wave, water level and other data from various sources into one consolidated portal. The system is expected to be very valuable in forecasting post storm/ hurricane coastal fl ooding. The NERACOOS website
www.ner-
acoos.org provides a variety of ocean and weather data displays. Contact Tom Shyka
tom@neracoos.org with questions.
VM-100 Transition/Waterways Manage- ment Update – LTJG David Bourbeau recently reported to Sector Northern New England, where he will oversee the Water- ways Management Program. He updated the Forum regarding the ongoing replace- ment of obsolete VM-100 fog signals with the latest generation on-demand Mariner Activated Radio Sound Signals (MRASS) systems. The VM-100 systems are aging with growing reliability issues and limited spare parts, requiring the transition. The US Coast Guard is upgrading the older VM-100 systems across the entire country including Maine and New Hampshire. While phase in has started, there are 18 VM-100 systems that remain in the area, which the Coast Guard expects to replace over the next year. The new MRASS system allows mariners to remotely activate navigation sound signals on demand by using a VHF radio. Mariners who require a sound signal will activate the aid by keying their VHF mic 5 times within 10 seconds on channel 83. The range of activation is line of sight. Once activated, the signal will sound for a pre-set period of time between 15 to 60 minutes.
4. Heavy Weather Preparedness: The Port Safety Forum followed a
theme of Heavy Weather Preparedness as a preparation for the remainder of the 2014 Hurricane Season and the beginning of Winter Nor’Easter season. Overview of Port Conditions - LCDR Paul Rudick, USCG reviewed the Coast Guard’s Port Conditions which are set by the Captain of the Port. Port Conditions are a scalable system of port protection measures to safeguard ports, vessels and infrastructure from severe weather. The conditions are set
Additionally,
based upon a full assessment of weather and operational information. While typically the conditions are set for entire Captain of the Port Zone, they can be tailored by region to ensure the correct conditions and protective measures are applied based upon risk. Communication of Port Conditions
- Port Conditions are communicated via Broadcast Notice to Mariners over the VHF Radio and via the Coast Guard’s Alert Warning System (AWS).
The AWS is a
system which allows the Coast Guard to send vital data electronically to a pre-set list of subscribed users. Messages may be sent/received via text, e-mail, and telephone. Personnel may sign up to receive AWS noti- fi cations by contacting Sector Northern New England’s Prevention Department by email at D01-SG-AllSectorNNEPrevDept@uscg. mil
Port Conditions - WHISKEY - (72 hours prior to arrival
of gale force winds greater than or equal to 39 mph): Port is open to all vessel traffi c; Possible drawbridge restrictions; Possible safety zone; Vessels shall seek refuge; and Vessels greater than 500 GT and all tuges/ barges shall declare intentions to depart or remain in port. If remaining in port, submit “Remaining in Port Checklist” to Coast Guard for approval X-RAY - (48 hours prior to arrival of
gale force winds greater than or equal to 39 mph): Port is open to all vessel traffi c, with possible restrictions; Possible drawbridge restrictions; Vessels shall seek refuge; and All “Remaining in Port Checklist” should be submitted to the Coast Guard for approval Possibly divert inbound vessel traffi c YANKEE - (24 hours prior to arrival of
gale force winds greater than or equal to 39 mph): Traffi c control measures will be in ef- fect; Possible cargo op restrictions; Vessels shall seek refuge; Oceangoing vessels 500+ GT and barges: Prohibited from movement unless approved by Coast Guard COTP; De- parting vessels should be prepared to clear port prior to setting of Port Condition Zulu; and Remain at accepted mooring site. ZULU - (12 hours prior to arrival of gale force winds greater than or equal to 39 mph) Port closed to all commercial and recreation- al vessel traffi c, unless approved by COTP Coast Guard maintains watch in Command Center
POST HURRICANE Coast Guard coordinates efforts to
survey waterwaysto ensure they are safe for navigation. Port re-opened to vessel traffi c and cargo ops; restrictions may be imposed;
Continued on Page 22.
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