Pittsburg

Size limits

Draught 10.1m, LOA 229.0m, beam 32.26m, 83,494 DWT

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

Approach

The Pittsburg port area is reached from the open sea by entering San Francisco Bay (under the Golden Gate Bridge) then following a marked route North up into San Pablo Bay. Passing under the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge (John T Knox Highway Bridge), a track is taken using marked navigation channels, from San Francisco Bay into San Pablo Bay, passing Point San Pedro. The route then turns NE, following a channel from San Pablo Bay, under the Carquinez Strait Bridge, adjacent to the Dwight D Eisenhower Bridge, and then into the Carquinez Strait. Passing under all three Benicia Martinez Bridges (Road, rail and Toll Bridges). The track then leads NE into Suisun Bay. The project depth for Suisun Point Reach Channel, which leads out of Carquinez Strait into Suisun Bay, is 10.7m.

A marked channel, the New York Slough Channel, starts at the Suisun Bay Channel Lighted Buoy No 30 (Q(1).R.1s) and leads down to the berths of Pittsburg Harbour area, keeping Browns Island and Winter Island to the North.

Traffic schemes and VTS

The VTS area is made up of two distinct sectors: The Offshore sector (this includes the approaches to San Francisco Bay from seaward) and the Inshore sector (an area covering San Pablo Bay right up to Pittsburg and beyond to Stockton). There is a routing system in operation. In the offshore sector this is in the form of a TSS. In the Inshore sector this comprises regulated navigational Areas (sea buoys, fairways and channels). The US Coast Guard operates a Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) to provide Masters and pilots of larger vessels with up to date information on identification and the intentions of other vessels as well as other necessary information.

Pittsburg is located within the Inshore Traffic Sector (VHF Ch 14) of the San Francisco Vessel Traffic Service.

Restrictions

Richmond-San Rafael Bridge: The bridge spans the North area of San Francisco Bay between Point Saint Quentin and Castro Point (37°56.18'N 122°24.78'W) and is one of the longest fixed high level, double-deck, bridges in the world. Two navigation channels pass beneath; the W Channel and E Channel, both marked by buoys and lights. W Channel span is 305m wide with a vertical clearance of 56.4m. The E Channel span is 296m wide with a vertical clearance of 41.1.m.

Carquinez Strait Bridges: Two fixed bridges, with one central pier, span the strait at Semple Point. Each span has a horizontal clearance of 304m. The vertical clearance under the N span is 44.5m and under the S span is 40.8m.

Benicia-Martinez Highways Bridge: A multi span fixed bridge, spans the E end of Carquinez Strait between Suisun Point (38°02'N 122°07'W) and Army Point (almost 1nm NNW). The main navigational span, between Piers No 10 and 11, has a horizontal clearance of 134m and a vertical clearance of 41m. This span almost coincides with that of the adjacent railroad bridge.

Southern Pacific Railroad Lift Bridge: This has a number of fixed spans and is situated close E of the Benicia-Martinez Highway bridge. The lift span has a vertical clearance of 21.3m when closed and 41m when open. The horizontal clearance is 89m. The operators can be contacted by VHF radio. A third, and new, Toll Highway bridge has been constructed just East of this Railroad Bridge.

Charts and publications

BA 4914. Admiralty Pilot NP8.

US Charts 18659, 18661, 18652. US Coast Pilot 7.

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.

Where it is

Pittsburg is situated on the S side of New York Slough, in California, approximately 43nm upriver and inland from the Pacific entrance to San Fancisco Bay.

The port

There are five Terminal sites in the harbour area, all privately owned. Of these, three are currently operational. Cargoes include steel, chemicals, coke and asphalt.

What are the pilot arrangements at Pittsburg?

Pilotage services for San Francisco Bay and surrounding areas are provided by San Francisco Bar Pilots who cover the Bay's approaches and tributaries as far up as Sacramento and Stockton.

What time zone is Pittsburg in?

Local time at Pittsburg is UTC−8. Clocks go to UTC−7 on 14 Mar 2027. Back to UTC−8 on 7 Nov 2027.

What is the maximum draft at Pittsburg?

The deepest berth listed is at Dow Chemicals: 10.10 m maximum draught. The "Max draft per terminal" table gives each terminal's figure.

Who carries out Port State Control at Pittsburg?

Port State Control at Pittsburg: US Coast Guard.

What is the UN/LOCODE of Pittsburg?

The UN/LOCODE of Pittsburg is USPBG.

What crews who called at Pittsburg 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.

Read and add tips for Pittsburg →