[Code of Federal Regulations] [Title 33, Volume 1] [Revised as of July 1, 2001] From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access [CITE: 33CFR26.03] [Page 104-106] TITLE 33--NAVIGATION AND NAVIGABLE WATERS CHAPTER I--COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION PART 26--VESSEL BRIDGE-TO-BRIDGE RADIOTELEPHONE REGULATIONS--Table of Contents Sec. 26.03 Radiotelephone required. (a) Unless an exemption is granted under Sec. 26.09 and except as provided in paragraph (a)(4) of this section, this part applies to: (1) Every power-driven vessel of 20 meters or over in length while navigating; (2) Every vessel of 100 gross tons and upward carrying one or more passengers for hire while navigating; (3) Every towing vessel of 26 feet or over in length while navigating; and (4) Every dredge and floating plant engaged in or near a channel or fairway in operations likely to restrict or affect navigation of other vessels except for an unmanned or intermittently manned floating plant under the control of a dredge. (b) Every vessel, dredge, or floating plant described in paragraph (a) of this section must have a radiotelephone on board capable of operation from its navigational bridge, or in the case of a dredge, from its main control station, and capable of transmitting and receiving on the frequency or frequencies within the 156-162 Mega-Hertz band using the classes of emissions designated by the Federal Communications Commission for the exchange of navigational information. (c) The radiotelephone required by paragraph (b) of this section must be carried on board the described vessels, dredges, and floating plants upon the navigable waters of the United States. (d) The radiotelephone required by paragraph (b) of this section must be capable of transmitting and receiving on VHF FM channel 22A (157.1 MHz). (e) While transiting any of the following waters, each vessel described in paragraph (a) of this section also must have on board a radiotelephone capable of transmitting and receiving on VHF FM channel 67 (156.375 MHz): (1) The lower Mississippi River from the territorial sea boundary, and within either the Southwest Pass safety fairway or the South Pass safety fairway specified in 33 CFR 166.200, to mile 242.4 AHP (Above Head of Passes) near Baton Rouge; (2) The Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet from the territorial sea boundary, and within the Mississippi River-Gulf outlet Safety Fairway specified in 33 CFR 166.200, to that channel's junction with the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal; and (3) The full length of the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal from its junction with the Mississippi River to that canal's entry to Lake Pontchartrain at the New Seabrook vehicular bridge. (f) In addition to the radiotelephone required by paragraph (b) of this section, each vessel described in paragraph (a) of this section while transiting any waters within a Vessel Traffic Service Area, must have on board a radiotelephone capable of transmitting and receiving on the VTS designated frequency in Table 26.03(f) (VTS Call Signs, Designated Frequencies, and Monitoring Areas). Note: A single VHF-FM radio capable of scanning or sequential monitoring (often referred to as ``dual watch'' capability) will not meet the requirements for two radios. [[Page 105]] Table 26.03(f).--Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) Call Signs, Designated Frequencies, and Monitoring Areas ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Designated frequency \2\ (channel Vessel traffic services \1\ call sign designation) Monitoring area ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New York \3\ New York Traffic \4\.............. 156.550 MHz (Ch. 11) and............ The navigable waters of the Lower 156.700 MHz (Ch. 14)................ New York Harbor bounded on the east by a line drawn from Norton Point to Breezy Point; on the south by a line connecting the entrance buoys at the Ambrose Channel, Swash Channel and Sandy Hook Channel to Sandy Hook Point; and on the southeast including the waters of the Sandy Hook Bay south to a line drawn at latitude 40 deg.25' N.; then west into waters of the Raritan Bay to the Raritan River Rail Road Bridge; and then north including the waters of the Arthur Kill and Newark Bay to the Lehigh Valley Draw Bridge at latitude 40 deg.41.95' N.; and then east including the waters of the Kill Van Kull and Upper New York Bay north to a line drawn east-west from the Holland Tunnel Ventilator Shaft at latitude 40 deg.43.7' N.; longitude 74 deg.01.6' W. in the Hudson River; and continuing east including the waters of the East River to the Throgs Neck Bridge, excluding the Harlem River. 156.600 MHz (Ch. 12)................ Each vessel at anchor within the above areas. Houston \3\ The navigable waters north 29 deg. N., west of 94 deg.20' W., south of 29 deg.49' N., and east of 95 deg.20' W.; Houston Traffic................... 156.550 MHz (Ch. 11)................ The navigable waters north of a line extending due west from the southern most end of Exxon Dock 1 29 deg.43.37' N., 95 deg.01.27' W.). 156.600 MHz (Ch. 12)................ The navigable waters south of a line extending due west from the southern most end of Exxon Dock 1 (29 deg.43.37' N., 95 deg.01.27' W.). Berwick Bay Berwick Traffic................... 156.550 MHz (Ch. 11)................ The navigable waters south of 29 deg.45' N., west of 91 deg.10' W., north of 29 deg.37' N., and east of 91 deg.18' W. St. Marys River Soo Control....................... 156.600 MHz (Ch. 12)................ The navigable waters of the St. Marys River between 45c deg.57' N. (De Tour Reef Light) and 46 deg.38.7' N. (Ile Parisienne Light), except the St. Marys Falls Canal and those navigable waters east of a line from 46 deg.04.16' N. and 46 deg.01.57' N. (La Pointe to Sims Point in Potagannissing Bay and Worsley Bay). San Francisco \3\ San Francisco Offshore Vessel 156.600 MHz (Ch. 12)................ The waters within a 38 nautical Movement Reporting Service. mile radius of Mount Tamalpais (37 deg.55.8' N., 122 deg.34.6' W.) excluding the San Francisco Offshore Precautionary Area. San Francisco Traffic............. 156.700 MHz (Ch. 14)................ The waters of the San Francisco Offshore Precautionary Area eastward to San Francisco Bay including its tributaries extending to the ports of Stockton, Sacramento and Redwood City. Puget Sound \5\ Seattle Traffic \6\ 156.700 MHz (Ch.14)................. The navigable waters of Puget Sound, Hood Canal and adjacent waters south of a line connecting Nodule Point (48 deg.01.5' N 122 deg.40.05'W) and Bush Point (48 deg.01.5' N 122 deg.36.23' W) in Admiralty Inlet and south of a line drawn due east from the southernmost tip of Possession Point (47 deg.34' N 122 deg.40' W) on Whidbey Island to the shoreline. 156.250 MHz (Ch.5A)................. The navigable waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca east of 124 deg.40' W, excluding the waters in the central portion of the Strait of Juan de Fuca north and east of Race Rocks (48 deg.18' N 123 deg.32' W); the navigable waters of the Strait of Georgia east of 122 deg.52' W; the San Juan Island Archipelago, Rosario Strait, Bellingham Bay; Admiralty of Juan de Fuca north and east of Race Rocks (48 deg.18' N 123 deg.32' W); the navigable waters of the Strait of Georgia east of 122 deg.52' W; the San Juan Island Archipelago, Rosario Strait, Bellingham Bay; Admiralty Inlet north of a line connecting Nodule Point (48 deg.01.5' N 122 deg.40.05' W) and Bush Point (48 deg.01.5' N 122 deg.36.23' W) and all waters of Whidbey Island north of a line drawn due east from the southernmost tip of Possession Point (47 deg.34' N 122 deg.40' W) on Whidbey Island to the shoreline. Tofino Traffic \7\................ 156.725 MHz (Ch. 74)................ The waters west of 124 deg.40' W. within 50 nautical miles of the coast of Vancouver Island including the waters north of 48 deg. N., and east of 127 deg. W. Vancouver Traffic................. 156.550 MHz (Ch. 11)................ The navigable waters of the Strait of Georgia west of 122 deg.52' W., the navigable waters of the central Strait of Juan de Fuca north and east of Race Rocks, including the Gulf Island Archipelago, Boundary Pass and Haro Strait. Prince William Sound \8\ [[Page 106]] Valdez Traffic.................... 156.650 MHz (Ch. 13)................ The navigable waters south of 61 deg.05' N., east of 147 deg.20' W., north of 60 deg. N., and west of 146 deg.30' W.; and, all navigable waters in Port Valdez. Louisville \8\ Louisville Traffic................ 156.650 MHz (Ch. 13)................ The navigable waters of the Ohio River between McAlpine Locks (Mile 606) and Twelve Mile Island (Mile 593), only when the McAlpine upper pool gauge is at approximately 13.0 feet or above. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Notes: \1\ VTS regulations are denoted in 33 CFR 161. All geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude) are expressed in North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83). \2\ In the event of a communication failure either by the vessel traffic center or the vessel or radio congestion on a designated VTS frequency, communications may be established on an alternate VTS frequency. The bridge-to-bridge navigational frequency, 156.650 MHz (Channel 13), is monitored in each VTS area; and it may be used as an alternate frequency, however, only to the extent that doing so provides a level of safety beyond that provided by other means. \3\Designated frequency monitoring is required within U.S. navigable waters. In areas which are outside the U.S. navigable waters, designated frequency monitoring is voluntary. However, prospective VTS Users are encouraged to monitor the designated frequency. \4\VMRS participants shall make their initial report (Sail Plan) to New York Traffic on Channel 11 (156.550 MHz). All other reports, including the Final Report, shall be made on Channel 14 (156.700 MHz). VMRS and other VTS Users shall monitor Channel 14 (156.700 MHz) while transiting the VTS area. New York Traffic may direct a vessel to monitor and report on either primary frequency depending on traffic density, weather conditions, or other safety factors. This does not require a vessel to monitor both primary frequencies. \5\ A Cooperative Vessel Traffic Service was established by the United States and Canada within adjoining waters. The appropriate vessel traffic center administers the rules issued by both nations; however, it will enforce only its own set of rules within its jurisdiction. \6\ Seattle Traffic may direct a vessel to monitor the other primary VTS frequency 156.250 MHz (Channel 5A or 14) depending on traffic density, weather conditions, or other safety factors, rather than strictly adhering to the designated frequency required for each monitoring area as defined above. This does not require a vessel to monitor both primary frequencies. \7\A portion of Tofino Sector's monitoring area extends beyond the defined CVTS area. Designated frequency monitoring is voluntary in these portions outside of VTS jurisdiction, however, prospective VTS Users are encouraged to monitor the designated frequency. \8\The bridge-to-bridge navigational frequency, 156.650 MHz (Channel 13), is used in these VTSs because the level of radiotelephone transmissions does not warrant a designated VTS frequency. The listening watch required by 26.05 of this chapter is not limited to the monitoring area. [CGD 91-046, 57 FR 14485, Apr. 21, 1992; 57 FR 21740, May 22, 1992, as amended by CGD 90-020, 59 FR 36322, July 15, 1994; CGD 95-033, 60 FR 28328, May 31, 1995; CGD 92-052, 61 FR 45325, Aug. 29, 1996; CGD-1999- 6141, 64 FR 69635, Dec. 14, 1999]