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Extreme caution urged at Saipan, Tinian ports
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Posted on Jul 05 2004
The Tinian seaport is now open to all kinds of vessels, but port officials urged ship captains to use extreme caution due to the presence of off-stationed buoys.
Saipan seaport manager Antonio Cabrera said Buoy No. 4 has been removed from the middle of the Tinian harbor channel on Sunday.
The buoy was displaced from its original position by the strong current during Typhoon Tingting, obstructing the entry of large vessels into the port.
“Buoy No. 4 is now located between Buoy No. 2 and Buoy No. 6. Therefore, port entry is permissible. [However,] masters and pilots are advised to exercise extreme caution when advancing and transferring a vessel in this channel due to buoys [that] are reported off-stationed,” Cabrera said in a memorandum issued yesterday.
He also reported that except for Buoy No. 2, all buoy lights at the Saipan seaport are working and visible at night. Night entry and exit are therefore permissible, Cabrera said.
Masters and pilots are nevertheless asked to be cautious when entering the Saipan seaport, especially when transferring a vessel at the sharp bend of the channel, he added.
The Rota port remains closed, as underwater assessment continues at the channel, turning basin and the berthing area.
Commonwealth Ports Authority executive director Carlos Salas earlier expressed concern about the safety of vessels berthing at the dock, saying there may be a deep cavity in the dock structure.
The harbor, which was repaired following the devastation caused by sypertyphoon Pongsona in Dec. 2002, was damaged anew when Tingting hit the Marianas last week.
Salas said the harbor, located only about 300 to 400 feet away from the open ocean, is now among CPA’s top priorities for repair.
CPA, he said, would send divers to check the channel and turning basin for any debris or obstruction, and enlist the help of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the dock’s rehabilitation efforts.
