165.704—Safety Zone; Tampa Bay, Florida.
(a)
A floating safety zone is established consisting of an area 1000 yards fore and aft of a loaded Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) vessel and the width of the channel in the following areas. Any vessels desiring to enter the safety zone must obtain authorization from the Captain of the Port St. Petersburg.
(1)
For vessels loaded with LPG and bound for the LPG receiving terminal in Port Sutton the safety zone starts at Tampa Bay Cut “F” Channel from Lighted Buoys “3F” and “4F” and proceeds north ending at Gadsden Point Cut Lighted Buoys “3” and “4”. The safety zone starts again at Gadsden Point Cut Lighted Buoys “7” and “8” and proceeds north through Hillsborough Cut “C”, Port Sutton Entrance Channel, and ends at the Port Sutton LPG facility.
(2)
For vessels loaded with LPG and bound for the LPG receiving terminal in Rattlesnake the safety zone starts at Tampa Bay Cut “J” Channel from lighted buoy “10J” and proceeds north through Tampa Bay Cut “K” Channel to buoy “11K.” When a loaded LPG vessel departs the marked channel at Tampa Bay Cut “K” buoy “11K” enroute to Rattlesnake, Tampa, FL, the floating safety zone extends 500 yards in all directions surrounding the loaded LPG vessel, until it arrives at the entrance to Rattlesnake. While the loaded LPG vessel is maneuvering in the Rattlesnake slip and until it is safely moored at the LPG facility, the floating safety zone extends 150 feet fore and aft of the loaded LPG vessel and the width of the slip. Moored vessels are allowed within the parameters of the 150-foot safety zone.
(b)
The floating safety zone is disestablished when the LPG carrier is safely moored at the LPG receiving facility.
(c)
For outbound tank vessels loaded with LPG, the safety zone is established when the vessel departs the terminal and continues through the area described in paragraph (a) of this section.
(d)
All vessels over 5000 gross tons intending to pass LPG vessels moored in Port Sutton, and all vessels intending to pass LPG vessels moored in Rattlesnake, must give 30 minutes notice to the LPG vessel so it may take appropriate safety precautions.
(f)
The Coast Guard Captain of the Port St. Petersburg will notify the maritime community of periods during which these safety zones will be in effect by providing advance notice of scheduled arrivals and departures of loaded LPG vessels via a marine broadcast Notice to Mariners.
(g)
Should the actual time of entry of the LPG vessel into the safety zone vary more than one half ( 1/2) hour from the scheduled time stated in the broadcast Notice to Mariners, the person directing the movement of the LPG vessel shall obtain permission from Captain of the Port St. Petersburg before commencing the transit.
(h)
Prior to commencing the movement, the person directing the movement of the LPG vessel shall make a security broadcast to advise mariners of the intended transit. All additional security broadcasts as recommended by the U.S. Coast Pilot 5, ATLANTIC COAST, shall be made throughout the transit.
(i)
Vessels carrying LPG are permitted to enter and transit Tampa Bay and Hillsborough Bay and approaches only with a minimum of three miles visibility.
(j)
The Captain of the Port St. Petersburg may waive any of the requirements of this subpart for any vessel upon finding that the vessel or class of vessel, operational conditions, or other circumstances are such that application of this subpart is unnecessary or impractical for purposes of port safety or environmental safety.
(k)
The owner, master, agent or person in charge of a vessel or barge, loaded with LPG shall report, at a minimum, the following information to the Captain of the Port St. Petersburg at least twenty-four (24) hours before entering Tampa Bay, its approaches, or departing Tampa Bay:
(4)
The estimated time that the vessel is expected to begin its transit of Tampa Bay and the time it is expected to commence its transit of the safety zone(s); and