Medway, pre-warning

[TheBoatman]

Medway Ports have just built a new LPG terminal which should come on-line in the next few months. It is located on the north shore just up-stream of the Victoria buoy. There is going to be a perminant (un-marked) exclusion zone around the new terminal.
Can I respectfully request that any sailors entering the Medway consult their charts/almanac's or NTM's for the changes or contact Medway Radio on Ch 74 for information.
Either that or stay well to the south of the fairway whilst passing this point?

 

[Shakey]

Interesting point, but not everyone has weekly access to NTM's and visiting sailors relying on this year's pilot book won't be any wiser either.

What I don't understand is why the exclusion zone is un-marked. If it's un-marked how is the visiting sailor without local knowledge going to know they're in this exclusion zone?

And is this exclusion zone a civil law convention or a harbour bye-law like the ones that prohibit you from approaching RN warships?

If they're so concerned about their gas terminal they should mark it IMHO.

 

[masterofnone]

Be even more interesting if the montgomery, with its load of phosphorous and asstd other munitions goes bang, as its only just round the corner. Then not many would miss either Southend or Sheerness, and you'd no longer need the exclusion zone.

 

[oldharry]

Sounds to me as if it would create its own exclusion zone if it went bang...?

 

[TheBoatman]

Shakey
They can't mark it because the buoys would be in the main fairway which would mean that vessels using Thamesport etc would run them down.
As for the almanacs etc, I think that it might appear there as they have been building the thing for the last couple of years.

 

[FlyingSpud]

Any idea how big the exclusion zone is? If it cuts into the main channel then surely this means that the main channel has to move, which in turn means replacing the channel buoys.

I wonder if by ‘unmarked’ they are talking rather about how far along the river bank it extends, rather than how far into the river it reaches?

 

[TheBoatman]

Please don't quote me on this but as far as I am lead to beleive if you take a centre point on the berth it will arc out at 100 mtrs. If there is a boat on the berth it extends for 150 mtrs. BTW they have already moved the N.Kent buoy.