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🛟 Stay Safe on the Mississippi River Delta

The Mississippi River Delta is home to some of the best hunting and fishing in America. It is also essential for U.S. commerce as a vital artery for shipping, agriculture, petroleum, and industrial cargoes. It connects the nation’s heartland to global markets. Sharing this waterway with some of the world’s largest ships requires awareness, preparation, and good seamanship. The following information is provided by the GNOPSC Harbor Safety Committee to help recreational and small-vessel operators stay safe on the Lower Mississippi River and in the Southwest Pass area.

Important Navigation & Communication Tips

Always listen to VHF/FM Channel 67. This is the designated channel for river traffic from large ships to smaller fishing and recreational vessels. Be aware of your location in relation to prominent points of interest such as Venice, Fort Jackson, Pilottown, and Southwest Pass. Fully consider the weather when making your decisions, including forecasts for high winds, storms, fog, and other adverse conditions. File a float plan with your intended route and fishing areas and leave it with a friend or relative. Make sure you have enough fuel and oil for the day’s run, with a reserve for the unexpected, and carry an up-to-date chart. Practice good seamanship, stay vigilant, and follow the navigational rules of the road.

Recreational Boating Safety: Do’s and Don’ts

✅ DO
  • Wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket at all times and have one aboard for each person.
  • When in doubt, throttle back.
  • Install a radar reflector. Fiberglass boats make poor radar targets; a reflector increases your visibility, especially in poor weather or at night.
  • Give way to larger vessels when crossing in and out of Southwest Pass, at the mouth of the passes, or across the channel. Take early action.
  • Communicate with commercial vessels on VHF Channel 67 in the Mississippi River or South/Southwest Pass.
  • Stay on the edges of the waterway where practical and out of the middle of the channel.
  • Know the limitations of your vessel and your crew.
 
❌ DO NOT
  • Cross the bow of vessels at close quarters or pass close to or between vessels in the navigational channel.
  • Never attempt to pass between a tug and its tow.
  • Anchor, fish, or idle in the path of large vessels in navigation channels.
  • Drink and boat.

Safe Distance: Why It Matters

As ships move, they displace thousands of tons of water. This creates enormous rushing and pulling forces around the vessel. Operating too close to a moving ship can cause small boats to lose control, resulting in collisions, flooding, and even capsizing. Because ships are very large, it is easy to underestimate their speed. Avoid crossing ahead of a moving ship. Instead, cross astern (behind) the ship at a safe distance

Line of Visibility & Blind Sector

If you cannot see the pilothouse windows of a ship, the crew cannot see you. If you are that close, you should move further away immediately. Large vessels have significant blind sectors. Never assume you are visible to a ship’s crew.

Special Caution: Southwest Pass

Southwest Pass is a much narrower channel, which limits how far away a small vessel can move to avoid the forces created by passing ships. Ships displace a tremendous amount of water, causing water near the bank to be pulled out and then surge back in. This creates a particularly hazardous situation, especially near wing dams, jetties, and navigational structures, and can cause a small vessel to capsize or be pushed toward or onto rock jetties.

Stay Vigilant

Mariners should stay vigilant and exercise extreme caution to avoid operating near a ship’s wake. Never cross between a tug boat and her tow.

Fog or Limited Visibility

Operating small vessels in limited or zero visibility is extremely dangerous. During these conditions, ships are navigated by radar alone. Fiberglass boats make poor radar targets and may not appear clearly on ship radar. In poor visibility situations, the safest place is moored to a dock at your marina.

Helpful Boating Safety Resources

  • Boaters Guide to the Federal Requirements for Recreational Boats — uscgboating.org
  • Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries Boating Regulations — wlf.louisiana.gov
  • Handbook of Louisiana Boating Laws & Responsibilities — assets.kalkome.com
  • Louisiana Boating Laws & Regulations — boat-ed.com
  • A Guide to Louisiana Boating Laws & Regulations — boatsmartexam.com

Important Contacts

  • USCG Sector New Orleans: 504-365-2200
  • Associated Branch Pilots, Venice: 504-524-3474
  • Associated Federal Pilots & Docking Masters of Louisiana: 985-898-1949
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