NC – VA – MD – DE – NJ – ATLANTIC OCEAN – OFFSHORE STRUCTURE PATON MARKING GUIDANCE

For Private Aids to Navigation (AtoN) applicants requesting Coast Guard permits to provide navigational markings on offshore wind farm structures in Fifth District-area waters, the following structure identification, lighting, sound signal, and Automated Identification System (AIS) capabilities are strongly recommended. Applicants should plan to apply for one Private Aid Permit per structure (to include all label(s), light(s), sound signals and AIS signals). Private AtoN Permit applications should be submitted no sooner than 60 days and no later than 365 days prior to
the need to activate a structure’s final markings. Additional specific recommendations include:
Tower/Electrical Service Platform (ESP) Identification:
• Uniquely lettered and numbered in an organized pattern as near to rows and columns as possible
• (Tower) Letters and numbers, visible at night, labelled to as near to 3 meters high as possible, rendered through use of retro-reflective or high contrast black, comparable to MilSpec #17038 or RAL 9005, to maximize visual range for nearby mariners, is strongly recommended • (ESP) Letters and numbers labelled to 1 meter high to visual range for nearby mariners.
• Visible above any servicing platforms
• Visible throughout a 360-degree arc from the water’s surface
• If feasible, also labelled below the servicing platform

• (Tower) All-around band, retro-reflective material (white, yellow or silver) is strongly recommended, visible through a 360 degree arc, at least 2 foot bands around the structure no less than 30 ft above MHHW.
• (Tower) Foundation base of all turbines should be painted yellow, comparable to MilSpec #23655 or RAL 1023, all around from Mean Higher High Water (MHHW) to 50 ft above MHHW
Lighting:
• Located on all structures, preferably on the servicing platform, visible throughout a 360-degree
arc from the water’s surface
• Corner Towers/Significant Peripheral Structures (SPSs): Quick flashing yellow (QY) energized at a five nautical mile range
• Outer Boundary Towers: Yellow 2.5 sec (FL Y 2.5s) energized at three nautical mile range
• Interior Towers: Yellow 6 sec or yellow 10 sec (FL Y 6/FL Y 10) energized at a two nautical mile range
• All lights should be synchronized by their structure location within the field of structures
Note: All temporary base, tower and construction components preceding the final structure completion must be marked with Quick Yellow (QY) obstruction lights visible throughout 360 degrees at a distance of 5NM. The QY flashing lights are outlined within the lighting plan during the PATON Permit process.
Sound Signals:
• Should be located on all structures located at corners/SPSs
• Sound every 30 seconds (4s Blast, 26s off)
• Set to project at a range of 2NM
• Should not exceed 3NM spacing between perimeter structures
• Must be Mariner Radio Activated Sound Signal (MRASS) activated by keying VHF Radio frequency
83A five times within ten seconds
• Timed to energize for 45 minutes from last VHF activation

Automated Information System (AIS) Transponder Signals:
• Each Significant Peripheral Structure, and Intermediate Peripheral Structure adjacent to a fairway or used to identify a designated vessel transit route through the farm or closely adjacent farms, shall be identified by a properly encoded AIS message 21.
• The structures may be marked with either physical or synthetic AIS message 21 as circumstances warrant; the broadcasts should be made at sufficient power to provide a relatively uniform coverage recommended to extend at least 8 nautical miles beyond the periphery of the wind farm to allow sufficient time for ship operators to detect and make any necessary course or speed alterations.
• Capable of transmitting signals marking the locations of all structures within the facility.
• Must be approved at the Coast Guard Headquarters level (CG-NAV) based on the Fifth Coast Guard District’s recommendation.
PATON Application can be requested through email to: D05-SMB-CGD5Waterways@uscg.mil
Please forward questions or feedback in an e-mail Matthew.K.Creelman2@uscg.mil or Ryan.P.Doody2@uscg.mil

Mariners may visit the NAVCEN website and subscribe for email delivery of BNMs.

NJ – PA – DE – MD – DC – VA – NC – US COAST GUARD 5TH DISTRICT BROADCAST NOTICE TO MARINERS

The U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center (NAVCEN) has completed its Maritime Safety Information (MSI) project upgrade to offer Broadcast Notice to Mariners (BNM) to mariners via email in addition to voice radio broadcasts. The online subscription service is in addition to the standard BNM broadcasts over VHF radio that previously, were the only way to receive this vital navigational information. Mariners can now use the subscription service to plan for underway periods and receive updates to Aids to Navigation and navigational hazards in near real time without having to wait on scheduled VHF broadcasts.
Mariners may visit the NAVCEN website and subscribe for email delivery of BNMs. https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=feeds. BNMs are organized by Coast Guard Sector and mariners can subscribe to one, or more Fifth District Sectors. It is also recommended that you subscribe to the “5th Coast Guard District (dpw)” BNMs and the “Atlantic Hazardous Weather Outlook”. Additionally, NAVCEN has developed an online, filterable, BNM archive that is available to the public. 5th District BNMs can be viewed and downloaded from this database on the NAVCEN website at: https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/bnmmessages/DistrictSearchV1.php?d=5&i=4html. For any questions regarding these services contact the NIS Watch at 703-313-5900. LNM 13/21