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Port Arthur, TX

29°52.2′ N 93°55.8′ W

Port ApproachPort Facilities & Contacts

Port Overview

Local Marine Weather

Live data

GMZ450 — Coastal waters from Cameron LA to High Island TX out 20 NM

Forecast office: NWS Lake Charles, LA

  • Tonight

    Southeast winds 10 to 15 knots with gusts up to 20 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet. Wave Detail: Southeast 3 feet at 4 seconds. A slight chance of showers early this evening. A slight chance of showers late.

  • Tuesday

    South winds around 10 knots. Seas around 2 feet. Wave Detail: South 2 feet at 5 seconds. A chance of showers. A slight chance of thunderstorms in the morning, then a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon.

  • Tuesday Night

    West winds 10 to 15 knots, becoming north after midnight. Seas around 2 feet. Wave Detail: West 2 feet at 4 seconds and southeast 1 foot at 5 seconds. A chance of showers and thunderstorms in the evening, then a slight chance of showers after midnight.

Source: NOAA / National Weather Service · Issued Mon, Nov 2, 14:09 · Last retrieved Mon, Nov 2, 21:47

Full NWS marine forecast (opens in new tab)

Nearby Tide Stations

Source: NOAA CO-OPS · Last retrieved Mon, Nov 2, 21:53

Nearby Current Stations

Source: NOAA CO-OPS · Last retrieved Mon, Nov 2, 21:53

Nearby NOAA/NDBC Stations

  • port28770475 - Port Arthur, TX0 NM8 kt
  • srst2Sabine Pass, TX12 NM9 kt
  • txpt28770822 - Texas Point, Sabine Pass, TX12 NM16 kt
  • hist28770808 - High Island, TX29 NM4 kt

Source: NOAA NDBC · Last retrieved Mon, Nov 2, 21:49

Salinity — USGS Water Quality

No USGS water-quality gauge within about 20 NM of this port is currently reporting salinity or conductivity.

Navigation Resources

  • NOAA Coast Pilot

    Official external resource

    Official sailing directions for Gulf ports are published in NOAA Coast Pilot. Port-specific excerpts are not yet shown in this app.

    NOAA Coast Pilot (opens in new tab)

  • USCG Information

    Official external resource

    Port conditions and Captain of the Port information are not yet connected. Broadcast and safety notices are published by the USCG Navigation Center.

    USCG NAVCEN — Maritime Safety Information (opens in new tab)

  • Notices to Mariners

    Official external resource

    Local Notices to Mariners for Port Arthur are published by the Coast Guard Navigation Center. Not ingested by this app.

    USCG NAVCEN — Local Notices to Mariners (opens in new tab)

  • Pilotage Information

    Source not yet connected

    Pilotage information source not yet connected.

  • Port Authority

    Source not yet connected

    No official port authority page could be verified. Link not shown.

Port Approach — Sabine Pass & Sabine-Neches Waterway

Planning reference only. Consult current official charts, notices, surveys, and pilot instructions before navigation.

STATIC REFERENCE — not live data. Live observations are in Port Overview above.

A · Entrance & Approach

  • Approach Sabine Pass through the prescribed safety fairway. The entrance runs between two jetties about 3½ miles long. Outer Bar Channel is marked by lighted buoys and a 337.5° lighted range; the jetty channel by lighted buoys and a 347° lighted range.[¶21, ¶25–26]

  • Inside the jetties the pass runs northwest about 6 miles to Sabine Lake. Lighted ranges and aids mark the channel through Sabine Pass and Port Arthur Canal. Unlighted USACE ranges along the channel sides are for dredging only.[¶26–27]

  • VTS / RNA

    A regulated navigation area and VTS cover the Sabine-Neches Waterway and tributaries. Sabine Pilots and VTS Port Arthur publish meeting-situation guidelines; these are not Coast Guard regulations.[¶19 note, ¶29 · 33 CFR 165.806]

  • COLREGS line

    Lines for Sabine Pass are in 33 CFR 80.840.[¶23]

Sources (1) · static reference

“Source checked” means the document was reviewed; current channel conditions were not independently verified.

B · Channels & Depth

Project depth ≠ available depth. Federal project (authorized) depths below are design figures. Current controlling depth not confirmed. Consult the latest USACE surveys and official notices.

  • Sabine Bank & Outer Bar Channels

    Federal project depth 42 feet (authorized depth).[¶25]

  • Jetty channel → Port Arthur Canal

    Federal project depth 40 feet, including the east and west turning basins.[¶25]

  • Between jetties

    General depths outside the channel between the jetties are 8 to 16 feet. Bottom outside the channel inside the pass is mostly soft.[¶25, ¶27]

  • Current controlling depth not confirmed. Consult the latest USACE surveys and official notices.
Sources (1) · static reference

“Source checked” means the document was reviewed; current channel conditions were not independently verified.

C · Cautions & Restrictions

  • Obstructions

    Numerous obstructions lie near and just outside Sabine Bank Channel and Outer Bar Channel.[¶25]

  • Principal dangers

    Offshore oil structures, Sabine Bank, and the spoil and dumping grounds either side of the entrance channel. Do not approach the entrance too closely before the pilot boards.[¶34]

  • Post-storm currentDated report — not confirmed current

    A strong westerly current, known to cause groundings after tropical cyclones, has been reported between Sabine Bank Channel Lighted Buoys 17/18 and 33/34. Extreme caution advised.[¶35]

  • Security zone

    The COTP Port Arthur security zone covers Sabine Bank Channel, Sabine Pass Channel and the Sabine-Neches Waterway.[¶37 · 33 CFR 165.819]

  • Check current Local Notices to Mariners and MSU Port Arthur / Sector Houston-Galveston MSIBs for active restrictions.
Sources (1) · static reference

“Source checked” means the document was reviewed; current channel conditions were not independently verified.

D · Anchorages

  • Designated

    Deep-draft vessels usually anchor in the Sabine Fairway Anchorages outside the entrance (33 CFR 166). An anchorage basin with 40-foot federal project depth lies on the east side of Sabine Pass Channel opposite the town of Sabine Pass (33 CFR 110.196).[¶31–32]

  • General description

    Light-draft vessels can find good holding 7–8 miles west of the jetties. The pass is used by coasting vessels as a winter harbor of refuge.[¶31]

  • Small-craft areaDated report · 1982 — not confirmed current

    The area off the town of Sabine Pass, southwest of the ship channel, used by small light-draft vessels was reported dredged to 21 feet in 1982.[¶32]

Sources (1) · static reference

“Source checked” means the document was reviewed; current channel conditions were not independently verified.

E · Pilotage

  • Requirement

    Compulsory for all foreign vessels and U.S. vessels under register in foreign trade; optional for coastwise vessels with a federally licensed pilot on board.[¶46]

  • Radio

    Pilot boats monitor VHF-FM 09, 13, 16 and 20. Make initial inbound notification on Channel 09 (working channel); the Port Arthur pilot office monitors Channel 20.[¶47]

  • Boarding

    Pilot boats meet vessels day or night at the sea buoy or Sabine Bank. The COTP highly recommends tank vessels drawing over 27 feet take pilotage throughout Sabine Bank Channel, embarking at Sabine Bank Channel Lighted Buoy SB.[¶47–48]

  • A Sabine Pilots advance-notice period is not stated in the cited Coast Pilot paragraphs or on the pilots’ home page. Confirm with pilot dispatch.
Sources (2) · static reference

“Source checked” means the document was reviewed; current channel conditions were not independently verified.

F · USCG / Captain of the Port

Routine contact · USCG Heartland District

Sector Houston-Galveston

COTP: Captain of the Port, Port Arthur (per Coast Pilot); zone defined in 33 CFR 3.40-28

Local unit: Marine Safety Unit Port Arthur (subordinate unit of Sector Houston-Galveston, 33 CFR 3.40-28)

13411 Hillard Street, Houston, TX 77034

281-464-4800(Sector Houston-Galveston main line)

Coast Pilot 5 App. A ¶64 · 33 CFR 3.40-28

Emergency

Maritime distress: VHF-FM Channel 16 / DSC Channel 70. The Sector office line above is for routine business.

  • Sabine Coast Guard Station is on the west side of the pass, about 5.8 miles above the east jetty light. A marine safety unit is in Port Arthur.[Ch. 10 ¶20, ¶56]

  • A direct public phone number for MSU Port Arthur was not confirmed. The Sector Houston-Galveston number below is from Coast Pilot Appendix A.
Sources (1) · static reference

“Source checked” means the document was reviewed; current channel conditions were not independently verified.

G · Reference Positions

Orientation only — not for navigation

  • Sabine Pass East Jetty Light

    29°38'41"N., 93°49'22"W.

    CP5 Ch. 10 ¶19

  • Sea buoy and Buoy SB coordinates are not given in the cited text. Use the current Light List and ENC.

Coordinates reproduced with the source's precision. Coast Pilot positions are referenced to NAD 83 unless stated otherwise.

Sources (1) · static reference

“Source checked” means the document was reviewed; current channel conditions were not independently verified.

H · Official Navigation & Conditions Links

Sources (2) · static reference

“Source checked” means the document was reviewed; current channel conditions were not independently verified.

Port Facilities & Contacts

Port Authority & Public Contacts

  • Port of Port Arthur Navigation District

    Controls the port. A Port Commission under a Port Director develops and operates the port and sets regulations.

  • The Navigation District website, address and public phone were not confirmed from a primary source in this review.
    Gulf Port Directory (no port-specific service listings yet)

    Listings come from official publications. Inclusion does not mean a terminal or shorebase is open to visiting vessels — confirm directly with the operator.

    Sources (1) · static reference

    “Source checked” means the document was reviewed; current channel conditions were not independently verified.