§ 110.168 Hampton Roads, Virginia and adjacent waters.

(a) Anchorage grounds. Unless otherwise stated, all coordinates in this section for anchorage grounds are based on North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83).

(1) Anchorage A [Naval Anchorage]. The waters bounded by the shoreline and a line connecting the following points:

(2) Chesapeake Bay, Thimble Shoals Channel Anchorages —

(i) Anchorage B [Naval Anchorage]. The waters bounded by a line connecting the following points:

(ii) Anchorage C [Naval Anchorage]. The waters bounded by a line connecting the following points:

(iii) Anchorage D [Naval Anchorage]. The waters bounded by the shoreline and a line connecting the following points:

(iv) Anchorage E [Commercial Explosives Anchorage]. The waters bounded by a line connecting the following points:

(v) Explosives Handling Berth E–1 [Explosives Anchorage Berth]. The waters bounded by the arc of a circle with a radius of 500 yards and the center located at:

(3) Hampton Roads Anchorages —

(i) Anchorage F, Hampton Bar. The waters bounded by a line connecting the following points:

(ii) Anchorage Berth F–1. The waters bounded by the arc of a circle with a radius of 500 yards and the center located at:

(iii) Anchorage G, Hampton Flats (Naval Explosives Anchorage). The waters bounded by a line connecting the following points:

(iv) Explosives Handling Berth G–1. The waters bounded by the arc of a circle with a radius of 500 yards and the center located at:

(v) Explosives Handling Berth G–2. The waters bounded by the arc of a circle with a radius of 500 yards and the center located at:

(vi) Explosives Handling Berth G–3. The waters bounded by the arc of a circle with a radius of 500 yards and with the center located at:

(vii) Explosives Handling Berth G–4. The waters bounded by the arc of a circle with a radius of 500 yards and with the center located at:

(viii) Anchorage H, Newport News Bar. The waters bounded by a line connecting the following points:

(4) James River Anchorages —

(i) Anchorage I, Newport News. The waters bounded by a line connecting the following points:

(ii) Anchorage Berth I–1. The waters bounded by the arc of a circle with a radius of 400 yards and the center located at:

(iii) Anchorage Berth I–2. The waters bounded by the arc of a circle with a radius of 400 yards and with the center located at:

(iv) Anchorage J, Newport News Middle Ground. The waters bounded by a line connecting the following points:

(v) Anchorage K, Newport News Middle Ground. The waters bounded by a line connecting the following points:

(vi) Anchorage Berth K–1. The waters bounded by the arc of a circle with a radius of 400 yards and with the center located at:

(vii) Anchorage Berth K–2. The waters bounded by the arc of a circle with a radius of 400 yards and with the center located at:

(viii) Anchorage Berth L, Craney Island Flats. The waters bounded by a line connecting the following points:

(5) Elizabeth River Anchorages.

(i) Anchorage M, Port Norfolk. The waters bounded by a line connecting the following points:

(ii) Anchorage N, Hospital Point. The waters bounded by a line connecting the following points:

(iii) Anchorage O, The Hague. The waters of the basin known as “The Hague”, north of the Brambleton Avenue Bridge, except for the area within 100 feet of the bridge span that provides access to and from the Elizabeth River.

(6) Anchorage Q —Quarantine Anchorage. The waters bound by a line connecting the following points, which are based on the World Geodetic System (WGS84):

(7) Anchorage R. The waters bound by a line connecting the following points, which are based on the World Geodetic System (WGS84):

(b) Definitions. As used in this section—

Class 1 (explosive) materials means Division 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, and 1.4 explosives, as defined in 49 CFR 173.50.

Dangerous cargo means “certain dangerous cargo” as defined in § 160.202 of this chapter.

U.S. naval vessel means any vessel owned, operated, chartered, or leased by the U.S. Navy; any pre-commissioned vessel under construction for the U.S. Navy, once launched into the water; and any vessel under the operational control of the U.S. Navy or a Combatant Command.

(c) General regulations.

(1) Except as otherwise provided, this section applies to vessels over 20 meters long and vessels carrying or handling dangerous cargo or Class 1 (explosive) materials while anchored in an anchorage ground described in this section.

(2) Except as otherwise provided, a vessel may not occupy an anchorage for more than 30 days, unless the vessel obtains permission from the Captain of the Port.

(3) Except in an emergency, a vessel that is likely to sink or otherwise become a menace or obstruction to navigation or to the anchoring of other vessels, may not occupy an anchorage, unless the vessel obtains permission from the Captain of the Port.

(4) The Captain of the Port may, upon application, assign a vessel to a specific berth within an anchorage for a specified period of time.

(5) The Captain of the Port may grant a revocable permit to a vessel for a habitual use of a berth. Only the vessel that holds the revocable permit may use the berth during the period that the permit is in effect.

(6) The Commander, Fifth Coast Guard District, may authorize the establishment and placement of temporary mooring buoys within a berth. Placement of a fixed structure within an anchorage may be authorized by the District Engineer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

(7) If an application is for the long-term lay up of a vessel, the Captain of the Port may establish special conditions in the permit with which the vessel must comply.

(8) Upon notification by the Captain of the Port to shift its position within an anchorage, a vessel at anchor must get underway at once or signal for a tug. The vessel must move to its new location within 2 hours after notification.

(9) The Captain of the Port may prescribe specific conditions for vessels anchoring within the anchorages described in this section, including, but not limited to, the number and location of anchors, scope of chain, readiness of engineering plant and equipment, usage of tugs, and requirements for maintaining communications guards on selected radio frequencies.

(10) A vessel that does not have a sufficient crew on board to weigh anchor at any time must have two anchors in place, unless the Captain of the Port waives this requirement. Members of the crew may not be released until the required anchors have been set.

(11) No vessel at anchor or at a mooring within an anchorage may transfer oil to another vessel unless the vessel has given the Captain of the Port the four hours advance notice required by § 156.118 of this title.

(12) Barges may not anchor in the deeper portions of anchorages or interfere with the anchoring of deep-draft vessels.

(13) Barges towed in tandem to an anchorage must be nested together when anchored.

(14) Any vessel anchored or moored in an anchorage adjacent to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel or Monitor-Merrimac Bridge Tunnel (MMBT) must be capable of getting underway within 30 minutes with sufficient power to keep free of the bridge tunnel complex.

(15) A vessel may not anchor or moor in an anchorage adjacent to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel or Monitor-Merrimac Bridge Tunnel (MMBT) if its steering or main propulsion equipment is impaired.

(d) Regulations for vessels handling or carrying dangerous cargoes or Class 1 (explosive) materials. This paragraph applies to every vessel, except a naval vessel, handling or carrying dangerous cargoes or Class 1 (explosive) materials.

(1) Unless otherwise directed by the Captain of the Port, each commercial vessel handling or carrying dangerous cargoes or Class 1 (explosive) materials must be anchored or moored within Anchorage Berth E–1.

(2) Each vessel, including each tug and stevedore boat, used for loading or unloading dangerous cargoes or Class 1 (explosive) materials in an anchorage, must have permission issued by the Captain of the Port.

(3) The Captain of the Port may require every person having business aboard a vessel handling or carrying dangerous cargoes or Class 1 (explosive) materials while in an anchorage, other than a member of the crew, to hold a form of valid identification.

(4) Each person having business aboard a vessel handling or carrying dangerous cargoes or Class 1 (explosive) materials while in an anchorage, other than a member of the crew, must present the identification prescribed by paragraph (d)(3) of this section to any Coast Guard boarding officer who requests it.

(5) Each non-self-propelled vessel handling or carrying dangerous cargoes or Class 1 (explosive) materials must have a tug in attendance at all times while at anchor.

(6) Each vessel handling or carrying dangerous cargoes or Class 1 (explosive) materials while at anchor must display by day a red flag (Bravo flag) in a prominent location and by night a fixed red light.

(e) Regulations for Specific Anchorages —

(1) Anchorages A, B, C, and D. Except for a naval vessel, military support vessel, or vessel in an emergency situation, a vessel may not anchor in Anchorages A, B, C, or D without the permission of the Captain of the Port. The Captain of the Port must consult with the Commander, Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, before granting a vessel permission to anchor in Anchorages A, B, C, or D.

(2) Anchorage E.

(i) A vessel may not anchor in Anchorage E without permission from the Captain of the Port.

(ii) The Captain of the Port must give commercial vessels priority over naval and public vessels.

(iii) The Captain of the Port may at any time revoke permission to anchor in Anchorage E issued under the authority of paragraph (e)(4)(i) of this section.

(iv) A vessel may not anchor in Anchorage Berth E–1, unless it is handling or carrying dangerous cargoes or Class 1 (explosive) materials.

(v) A vessel may not anchor within 500 yards of Anchorage Berth E–1 without the permission of the Captain of the Port, if the berth is occupied by a vessel handling or carrying dangerous cargoes or Class 1 (explosive) materials.

(3) Anchorage F. A vessel having a draft less than 45 feet may not anchor in Anchorage F without the permission of the Captain of the Port. No vessel may anchor in Anchorage F for a longer period than 72 hours without permission from the Captain of the Port. Vessels expecting to be at anchor for more than 72 hours must obtain permission from the Captain of the Port.

(4) Anchorage G.

(i) Except for a naval vessel, a vessel may not anchor in Anchorage G without the permission of the Captain of the Port.

(ii) When handling or transferring Class 1 (explosive) materials in Anchorage G, naval vessels must comply with Department of Defense Ammunition and Explosives Safety Standards, or the standards in this section, whichever are the more stringent.

(iii) When barges and other vessels are berthed at the Ammunition Barge Mooring Facility, located at latitude 36°58′34″ N, longitude 76°21′12″ W., no other vessel, except a vessel that is receiving or offloading Class 1 (explosive) materials, may anchor within 1,000 yards of the Ammunition Barge Mooring Facility. Vessels transferring class 1 (explosive) materials must display by day a red flag (Bravo flag) in a prominent location and by night a fixed red light.

(iv) Whenever a vessel is handling or transferring Class 1 (explosive) materials while at anchor in Anchorage G, no other vessel may anchor in Anchorage G without the permission of the Captain of the Port. The Captain of the Port must consult with the Commander, Naval Station Norfolk, before granting a vessel permission to anchor in Anchorage G.

(v) A vessel located within Anchorage G may not handle or transfer Class 1 (explosive) materials within 400 yards of Norfolk Harbor Entrance Reach.

(vi) A vessel may not handle or transfer Class 1 (explosive) materials within 850 yards of another anchored vessel, unless the other vessel is also handling or transferring Class 1 (explosive) materials.

(vii) A vessel may not handle or transfer Class 1 (explosive) materials within 850 yards of Anchorage F or H.

(5) Anchorage I: Anchorage Berths I–1 and I–2. A vessel that is 500 feet or less in length or that has a draft of 30 feet or less may not anchor in Anchorage Berth I–1 or I–2 without the permission of the Captain of the Port.

(6) Anchorage K: Anchorage Berths K–1 and K–2. A vessel that is 500 feet or less in length or that has a draft of 30 feet or less may not anchor in Anchorage Berth K–1 or K–2 without the permission of the Captain of the Port.

(7) Anchorage N. Portions of this anchorage are a special anchorage area under § 110.72aa of this part during marine events regulated under § 100.501 of this chapter.

(8) Anchorage O.

(i) A vessel may not anchor in Anchorage O unless it is a recreational vessel.

(ii) No float, raft, lighter, houseboat, or other craft may be laid up for any reason in Anchorage O without the permission of the Captain of the Port.

(9) Anchorage Q: Quarantine Anchorage.

(i) A vessel that is arriving from or departing for sea and that requires an examination by public health, customs, or immigration authorities shall anchor in Anchorage Q. Vessels not needing examination may use Anchorage Q at any time.

(ii) Every vessel using Anchorage Q must be prepared to move promptly under its own power to another location when directed by the Captain of the Port, and must promptly vacate Anchorage Q after being examined and released by authorities.

(iii) Any non-self-propelled vessel using Anchorage Q must have a tugboat in attendance while undergoing examination by quarantine, customs, or immigration authorities, except with the permission of the Captain of the Port.

(10) Anchorage R.

(i) No vessel using Anchorage R may conduct oil or hazardous material transfer operations subject to 33 CFR part 156 except with permission of the COTP.

(ii) Any non-self-propelled vessel using Anchorage R must have a towing vessel in attendance except with permission of the COTP not to have a towing vessel in attendance.

[CGD05–04–043, 70 FR 29955, May 25, 2005, as amended by USCG–2008–0041, 73 FR 5746, Jan. 31, 2008; USCG–2005–21869, 80 FR 5330, Jan. 30, 2015; USCG–2015–1118, 85 FR 31978, May 28, 2020]