Gloucester

Size limits

LOA 145m, draught 7.3m.

Load line zone

Summer Zone for ships over 100m in length and Winter Seasonal Area for ships of 100m or less in length, Winter Nov 1 to Mar 31, Summer Apr 1 to Oct 31.

Tides

Range 2.9m average, springs 4.2m, neaps- 2.7m.

Deepest first. The draught is the largest any of the terminal's berths states; a dash means the source gives none.

Approach

A breakwater extends 0.5nm WNW from Eastern Point to Dog Bar. The channel between Dog Bar and Round Rock Shoal is narrow, depth 6.0m.

The W channel between Round Rock Shoal and Mussel Point has a width of 0.6nm and depths of 11.5-14.0m. This is the recommended approach channel.

A channel dredged to 6.0m leads from the NE part of the outer harbour to the head of the inner harbour.

Port limits

The inner harbour limits begin at a line between Black Rock Danger Day beacon and Fort Point.

Anchorages

Good anchorage SE off Tenpound Island in SE harbour in 9.0m depth, bottom muddy and sticky.

Western Harbor, the semicircular cove northwestward of Tenpound Island in the northern part of Gloucester Harbour, is also good anchorage, soft mud and clay bottom in 7.3m to 9.0m.

A dredged anchorage, approx 270m south west of the Gloucester State Fish Pier, is available in Inner Harbour in depths of about 4.0m to 5.0m.

Restrictions

Dog Bar, on which the breakwater is built, extends 90m westward of the end of the breakwater where it is marked by a buoy.

Round Rock Shoal is a rocky ledge, covered to about 4.0m, 0.3nm W of the breakwater light. It is marked on its NE edge by a buoy and on its SW edge by a lighted buoy.

Green Rock, 160m E of Tenpound Island, is marked by a day beacon.

Tenpound Island Ledge and Mayflower Ledge, on the E side of the approaches to the Inner Harbour, are covered 5.8m to 4.8m respectfully. A buoy is of the NW side of Mayflower Ledge.

Rocky Neck, a high and partly wooded island on the eastern side at the entrance to Inner Harbor, is connected with the easterly shore by a causeway. Black Rock, about 90m off the western end of Rocky Neck, is marked by a daybeacon

Tugs

The pilot boat can assist docking vessels up to 6,000GT, for larger vessels tugs are available from Boston.

Charts and publications

BA 1227, 2487; NOAA 13281, 13279. Admiralty Pilot NP68.

ETA and pre-arrival notices

Vessels arriving in first US port: Please see country information.

Documents

Please see country information for details of documentation requirements.

Health

No action initiated unless there is illness onboard.

Ship Sanitation Control Certificates: Please see country information.

Customs and immigration

For crew not to be detained onboard each crew member must have a visa in their passport or Seaman's Book.

Notices and regulations

Coastguard Vessel Inspection: Please see country information.

Max speed within the inner harbour is 5mph.

Port State Control here: US Coast Guard.

Foreign ships are examined by the US Coast Guard. File the Advance Notice of Arrival 96 hours ahead (33 CFR 160).

ISPS

ISPS Designated Authority: United States Coast Guard, Office of Compliance. Address: 2100 Second St, SW, Washington DC, 20593, USA. Tel: +1 202 267 2978. Fax: +1 202 267 4858. Email: [email protected]. For further ISPS information see IMO website http://www2.imo.org/ISPSCode.

Repairs

Gloucester has ship repair plants on Rocky Neck and on the NW side of the harbour. The 2 plants have machine and other shops and can carry out all repairs to vessels. The shipyard pier on Rocky Neck has a length of 82m, depth 4.5-4.8m, the yard has a 40t crane.

Boston is the nearest port where large vessels can be dry docked for extensive repairs to hull and machinery.

Bunkers, water and stores

Fresh water: Available.

Bunkering: Not available in enough quantity for larger vessels. Tank trucks and lighters are use.

Stores: Available in town.

Medical

Addison Gilbert Hospital, Gloucester.

Transport

Nearest airport: Beverly Airport (24km), Logan International, Boston (56km).

Nearest railway: Boston and Maine Railroad, Gloucester.

Working hours

Throughout 24 hours, all year round.

Where it is

Gloucester is located on the N shore of Massachusetts Bay at Cape Ann, 32nm N of Boston.

The port

Gloucester is a port of entry. One of the most important fishing ports in the United States, the harbour is safe and deep enough for medium size vessels. The area has an inner and an outer harbour.

There are many small wharves and jetties in the Inner Harbour area, mostly used for the fishing industry. Five main quay areas have been listed.

Cargo handled: Fish processing and export of frozen fish, flour, general cargo and grain.

There are two offshore LNG vapour offloading SBM terminals, known as Northeast Gateway and Neptune, sited 13 and 7nm SSE respectively from Gloucester. These offshore terminals are under separate entries.

Traffic

Approx 100,000t of cargo handled annually.

What are the pilot arrangements at Gloucester?

Pilotage is compulsory for all foreign originating vessels over 350GT and/or 2.1m draught and for US vessels over 10,000GT.

What time zone is Gloucester in?

Local time at Gloucester is UTC−5. Clocks go to UTC−4 on 14 Mar 2027. Back to UTC−5 on 7 Nov 2027.

Which load line zone is Gloucester in?

Summer Zone for ships over 100m in length and Winter Seasonal Area for ships of 100m or less in length, Winter Nov 1 to Mar 31, Summer Apr 1 to Oct 31.

Who carries out Port State Control at Gloucester?

Port State Control at Gloucester: US Coast Guard.

What is the UN/LOCODE of Gloucester?

The UN/LOCODE of Gloucester is USGLO.

What crews who called at Gloucester say: pilot boarding, the agent's papers, inspections, shore leave. Each tip is shown with the writer's rank and ship type, and an AI summary sits on top once there are three or more.

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