November 1, 2024
The Captain of the Port, Sector Delaware Bay advises all vessels transiting the Mid-Atlantic Ocean that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has established regulations which implement a 10 knot or less over ground speed restriction for all vessels 65 ft (19.8 m) or greater in specified locations (called Seasonal Management Areas or SMAs) during certain times of the year along the east coast of the U.S. Atlantic seaboard. These regulations are designed to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales by reducing the likelihood of collisions between ships and whales.
The 10 knot or less over ground speed restriction extends out 20 nautical miles around major mid-Atlantic ports. The speed restriction also applies in waters off New England and the southeastern U.S., where whales gather seasonally.
The speed restrictions apply in the following approximate locations at the following times; they are based on times whales are known to be in these areas:
- Southeastern U.S. from St. Augustine, FL to Brunswick, GA from November 15 to April 15
- Mid-Atlantic U.S. areas from Brunswick, GA to Rhode Island from November 1 to April 30
- Cape Cod Bay from January 1 to May 15
- Off Race Point at northern end of Cape Cod from March 1 to April 30
- Great South Channel of New England from April 1 to July 31
Specifically for vessels entering the Delaware Bay, the restriction applies in the following location: Within a 20-nm (37 km) radius (as measured seaward from COLREGS lines) of the center point of the entrance to the Delaware Bay (Ports of Philadelphia and Wilmington): 38°52'27.4” N—075°01’32.1” W.
For more information about how to comply with the Northern Right Whale Ship Strike Reduction Rule (50 CFR 224.105), please see the attached pamphlet or visit the NOAA website at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/endangered-species-conservation/reducing-ship-strikes-north-atlantic-right-whales. You may also call the Sector Delaware Bay Waterways Management Branch at (267) 515-7294.