Montego Bay

1. Montego Bay pilot boarding place Pilot boards18°29.1′N 077°57.2′W

Size limits

LOA 323.63m, beam 42m, draught 10.10m, 51,476DWT.

Water density

1026.

Load line zone

North Atlantic Seasonal Tropical Area, Tropical Nov 1 to Jul 15, Summer Jul 16 to Oct 31.

Tides

Range 0.2m. No current in harbour and virtually no swell alongside the berths.

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

Approach

Approach: The berths are reached through a 457m length channel, width 122m, dredged to a depth of 10.36m.

Directions for entering harbour:

Approach to Montego Bay: Leading lights: From the vicinity of (18°30'N 077°59'W) the alignment (118.5°) of leading lights (visible about 10° each side of the leading line) leads past the pilot boarding place, to the anchorage in the bay:

Front light (red triangle, point up, on mast 5.0m in height), (0.2nm SSW of the church tower), partly obscured by a breakwater and difficult to see.

Rear light (white triangle point down on mast, 16m in height) (0.225nm ESE of front light), surrounded by buildings and difficult to see.

Lights in line (035.25°), known as "stopping lights", visible 10° each side of the line, (red disc on red round metal tower 4m and 5m in height), front light on fort (0.45nm NNW of the church tower). The rear light is partly obscured by trees and difficult to see.

Montego Port: Route: The alignment (200.75°) of leading lights (white triangles on posts) (1.25nm SW of the church tower) leads through the dredged channel into the turning basin. The dredged area is marked by lightbuoys and light beacons.

Anchorages

Anchorage points: Anchorage is available in the roadstead, approx 0.5nm from the shore, in depths of 9.0-11.0m or in depths of 12.8-14.6m in the harbour.

Anchorage is available in Anchorage "A" (0.7nm WNW from Anglican church), with the permission of the Harbour Master at Kingston. The best position is on the leading line with the front stopping beacon bearing 062°.

Conditions at the anchorage: The anchorage is frequently crowded, especially between Dec and Jun. Whenever anchoring in the bay, a vessel should veer a good scope of cable to prevent dragging into deeper water, as the slope of the bank is generally steep.

In winter, the closer to the NE shore that a vessel can anchor, the greater will be the protection of the reefs but the holding ground is not so good.

The anchorage is quite safe during the period of ordinary land and sea breezes, which blow from between NE and SE. However, the anchorage can rapidly become untenable with N or NW winds as these are generally strong and cause a considerable swell within the bay.

Those winds usually occur between Nov and Mar, and are heralded by a sharp drop in temperature (8° to 11°C) in Florida and the Gulf States of the USA. This condition gives approx 12 hours warning of bad weather but winds of force 7 may arise with little or no warning.

Quarantine anchorage: Quarantine anchorage is situated at Great River Bay (4nm WSW).

Restrictions

Entry by day and night.

Tugs

Available from Kingston if required.

Charts and publications

BA 256, 464; Jamaica 464. Admiralty Pilot NP70, NP286(7).

Communications

VHF: Ch 16, Kingston Radio. Ch 11, Pilots (callsign "KNRD" 0671).

Notice of readiness

NOR to be tendered on arrival.

ISPS

ISPS Designated Authority: Port Authority of Jamaica.

Position: Vice President of Security.

Address: 15-17 Duke Street, Kingston, Jamaica.

Tel: +1 876 922 0290.

Fax: +1 876 924 9437.

Email: [email protected]

For further ISPS information see IMO website http://www.imo.org

Description: Located in the Caribbean, Jamaica is the third largest island in the West Indies.

Repairs

Minor repairs can be undertaken alongside.

Dry docks

No drydock facilities.

Bunkers, water and stores

Fresh water: Available at a rate of 60tph.

Bunkering: All grades available from Shell, Esso and Texaco in limited quantities. At least 4 days notice required. No bunker 'C'.

Medical

Nearest hospital: Cornwall Regional Hospital (3km).

Transport

Nearest airport: Sangster International (5km).

Nearest railway: Montego Bay (2km).

Working hours

Mon-Fri 0800-1600hrs. Thereafter, overtime at time and a half. Work on Sun and public holidays at double time.

Where it is

Montego Bay is located on the NW coast of Jamaica.

The port

Montego Bay is an artificial harbour entered through a dredged channel at the S end of Montego Bay. It is the principal port on the N coast of the island and is a tourist resort. The port has an open roadstead of 9.1-11.0m depth, approx 0.5nm from the shore, and depths of 12.8-14.6m in the harbour. The port of Montego Bay is owned by the Port Authority of Jamaica and has berths that are operated by Port Handlers Ltd. There are a total of five berths at Montego Bay, two of which service Montego Bay Freeport Cruise Terminal and the other servicing the Petrojam Tanker Loading Terminal.

Traffic

Approx. 630,000 tonnes of cargo, 460,000 passengers and 350 vessels.

Where does the pilot board at Montego Bay?

The pilot boards at Montego Bay pilot boarding place, 18°29.1′N 077°57.2′W.

What time zone is Montego Bay in?

Local time at Montego Bay is UTC−5. No summer time.

What is the maximum draft at Montego Bay?

The deepest berth listed is at Montego Bay Freeport Cruise Terminal: 9.60 m maximum draught. The "Max draft per terminal" table gives each terminal's figure.

What is the water density at Montego Bay?

1026.

Which load line zone is Montego Bay in?

North Atlantic Seasonal Tropical Area, Tropical Nov 1 to Jul 15, Summer Jul 16 to Oct 31.

What is the UN/LOCODE of Montego Bay?

The UN/LOCODE of Montego Bay is JMMBJ.

What crews who called at Montego Bay 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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