§110.214. Los Angeles and Long Beach harbors, California.
33 C.F.R. § 110.214
General Regulations—
Anchorage Assignment.
Unless otherwise directed by the Captain of the Port Los Angeles-Long Beach, the Long Beach Port Pilots will assign all anchorages inside the federal breakwater. All anchorages outside (seaward) of the federal breakwater will be assigned by Vessel Movement Reporting System (VMRS) Center Los Angeles-Long Beach. The master, pilot, or person in charge of a vessel must notify the Long Beach Pilots (for anchorages inside the federal breakwater) or VMRS Center Los Angeles-Long Beach (for anchorages outside the federal breakwater) of their intention to anchor, upon anchoring, and at least fifteen minutes prior to departing an anchorage. All anchorage assignments will be made as described in this part unless modified by the Captain of the Port.
Radio communications for port entities governing anchorages are as follows— VMRS Center Los Angeles-Long Beach, call sign “San Pedro Traffic”, Channel 14 VHF-FM; Long Beach Port Pilots, call sign “Long Beach Pilots”, Channel 12 VHF-FM.
The exact boundary separating the Port of Long Beach from the Port of Los Angeles is published in local Port Tariffs. For purposes of this rule, Long Beach waters are those east, and Los Angeles waters are those west, of the following locations:
Inner Harbor— The Henry Ford (Badger Avenue) Bridge.
Middle Harbor— The Pier 400 Transportation Corridor.
Outer Harbor— The western boundary of Commercial Anchorage B.
Required approvals, permits and notifications.
No vessel may anchor in deep draft sub-anchorages B-7, B-9, B-11, D-5, D-6 or D-7 within Los Angeles or Long Beach harbors for more than 48 consecutive hours unless extended anchorage permission is obtained from the Captain of the Port. These sub-anchorages are defined by the following coordinates and dimensions:
No vessel may anchor anywhere else within Los Angeles or Long Beach harbors (inside the federal breakwater) for more than 10 consecutive days unless extended anchorage permission is obtained from the Captain of the Port. In determining whether extended anchorage permission will be granted, consideration will be given, but not necessarily limited to: The current and anticipated demands for anchorage space within the harbor, the requested duration, the condition of the vessel, and the reason for the request.
No vessel while carrying, loading, or unloading division 1.1 or 1.2 materials as defined in 49 CFR 173.50, or Cargoes of Particular Hazard (COPH) as defined in 33 CFR 126.10, or Certain Dangerous Cargoes (CDC) as defined in 33 CFR 160.202, may anchor without first obtaining a permit issued by the Captain of the Port.
Vessels requiring use of an explosives anchorage should contact the Captain of the Port at least 24 hours prior to the anticipated need for the explosives anchorage to allow for proper activation of that anchorage.
Except with the prior approval of the Captain of the Port, or, in the case of an emergency, with approval of the Captain of the Port immediately subsequent to anchoring, no commercial vessel greater than 1600 gross tons may anchor in Los Angeles-Long Beach Harbor unless it maintains the capability to get underway within 30 minutes. Any vessel unable to meet this requirement must immediately notify the Captain of the Port and make arrangements for an adequate number of tugs to respond to the vessel within 30 minutes notice.
In anchorages where lightering is authorized, the Captain of the Port must be notified at least 4 hours in advance of a vessel conducting lightering operations (see 33 CFR 156.118).
Other General Requirements.
When at anchor, all commercial vessels greater than 1600 gross tons shall, at all times, have a licensed or credentialed deck officer on watch and maintain a continuous radio listening watch unless subject to one of the exemptions in this paragraph. The radio watch must be on CH-12 VHF-FM when anchored inside the federal breakwater, and on CH-14 VHF-FM when anchored outside the federal breakwater, except for unmanned barges; vessels which have less than 100 gallons of oil or fuel onboard regardless of how the fuel is carried; and other vessels receiving advance approval from the Captain of the Port.
When winds are forecasted and/or observed at 35 knots or greater (including wind gusts) vessels shall ensure their propulsion plant is placed in immediate standby and a second anchor, if installed, is made ready to let go. Vessels unable to comply with this requirement must immediately notify the Captain of the Port. In such case, the Captain of the Port may require additional precautionary measures, including but not limited to one or more tugs standing by to render immediate assistance.
Prohibitions. Within Los Angeles Harbor, Long Beach Harbor, and the Los Angeles-Long Beach Precautionary Area, except for emergency reasons, or with the prior approval of the Captain of the Port, vessels are prohibited from anchoring outside of designated anchorage areas. In the event a vessel anchors outside a designated anchorage area for emergency reasons, the master, pilot, or person in charge of the vessel shall:
Position the vessel so as to minimize the danger to other vessels and facilities;
Immediately notify the Captain of the Port by the most expeditious means of the vessel's location and the reason(s) for the emergency anchoring; and
Move the vessel as soon as the emergency condition prompting anchoring outside a designated area abates, or as soon as ordered to move by the Captain of the Port, whichever occurs sooner.
Exemption from rules. The Captain of the Port may, upon request, or whenever he/she deems appropriate, authorize a deviation from any rule in this section.
The anchorage grounds. Locations of anchorage grounds are as described in this section. Specific requirements for individual anchorages are contained in paragraphs (c) and (d) of this section. All coordinates referenced use datum: NAD 83.
[Reserved]
Commercial Anchorage B (Long Beach Harbor). An area enclosed by a line joining the following coordinates:
Commercial Anchorage C (Long Beach Harbor). An area enclosed by a line joining the following coordinates:
Commercial Anchorage D (Long Beach Harbor). An area enclosed by a line beginning near the east end of the Long Beach Breakwater and joining the following coordinates:
Commercial Anchorage E (Long Beach Harbor— ). An area enclosed by a line joining the following coordinates:
Commercial Anchorage F (outside of Long Beach Breakwater).
The waters southeast of the Long Beach Breakwater bounded by a line connecting the following coordinates:
And thence north/northwest to the beginning point.
Commercial Anchorage G (outside of the Middle Breakwater).
The waters south of the Middle Breakwater bounded by a line connecting the following coordinates—
And thence north/northeast to the beginning point.
General Anchorage N (Los Angeles Harbor). The waters near Cabrillo Beach shoreward of a line connecting the following coordinates:
General Anchorage P (Long Beach Harbor). The waters within an area beginning at Alamitos Bay West Jetty Light “1” and connecting the following coordinates:
General Anchorage Q (Long Beach Harbor/Alamitos Bay/Anaheim Bay). The waters within an area described as follows:
Explosives Anchorage (Long Beach Harbor). A circular area with a radius of 1,909 yards (1,745 meters), centered in position 33°43′37.0″ N, 118°09′05.3″ W.
Individual anchorage requirements—
Table 11 to this paragraph (c) lists anchorage grounds, identifies the purpose of each anchorage, and contains specific regulations applicable to certain anchorages. Requirements for the explosives anchorage are contained in paragraph (d) of this section.
The geographic boundaries of each anchorage are contained in paragraph (b) of this section.
Explosives Anchorage (Long Beach Harbor).
Priority for use of this anchorage shall be given to vessels carrying, loading, or unloading division 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, or 1.4 (explosive) materials as defined in 49 CFR 173.50, or Cargoes of Particular Hazard (COPH) as defined in 33 CFR 126.10, or Certain Dangerous Cargoes (CDC) as defined in 33 CFR 160.202.
Vessels requiring the use of this anchorage shall notify the Captain of the Port at least 24 hours in advance of their intentions including the estimated times of arrival, departure, net explosive weight, and whether the vessel will be loading or unloading. Vessels may not use this anchorage without first obtaining a permit issued by the Captain of the Port.
No vessel containing more than 680 metric tons (approximately 749 tons) of net explosive weight (NEW) may anchor in this anchorage;
Bunkering and lightering operations are permitted in the explosives anchorage, except that vessels engaged in the loading or unloading of explosives shall not simultaneously conduct bunkering or lightering operations.
Each anchored vessel loading, unloading or laden with explosives, must display a red flag of at least 1.2 square meters (approximately 16 square feet) in size by day, and at night the flag must be illuminated by spotlight;
When a vessel displaying the red flag occupies the explosives anchorage, no other vessel may anchor within the Explosives Anchorage.
Notes, amendments, and revision history
Amendments
[CGD11-99-008, 65 FR 10710, Feb. 29, 2000, as amended by CGD11-04-007, 71 FR 3002, Jan. 19, 2006; CGD11-04-005, 71 FR 15037, Mar. 27, 2006; USCG-2006-24371, 74 FR 11212, Mar. 16, 2009; USCG-2013-0841, 79 FR 71657, Dec. 3, 2014; USCG-2005-21869, 80 FR 5330, Jan. 30, 2015; USCG-2023-0868, 90 FR 43393, Sept. 9, 2025]
Authority
Authority: 33 U.S.C. 2071; 46 U.S.C. 70006, 70034; 33 CFR 1.05-1; Department of Homeland Security Delegation No. 00170.1, Revision No. 01.4.
Source
Source: CGFR 67-46, 32 FR 17728, Dec. 12, 1967, unless otherwise noted.
Amendments
[CGD11-99-008, 65 FR 10710, Feb. 29, 2000, as amended by CGD11-04-007, 71 FR 3002, Jan. 19, 2006; CGD11-04-005, 71 FR 15037, Mar. 27, 2006; USCG-2006-24371, 74 FR 11212, Mar. 16, 2009; USCG-2013-0841, 79 FR 71657, Dec. 3, 2014; USCG-2005-21869, 80 FR 5330, Jan. 30, 2015; USCG-2023-0868, 90 FR 43393, Sept. 9, 2025]