Thames River users, environmental interest groups, and federal, state and local regulators generally feel that the current volume of traffic on the river is good, but they did express concern around increased traffic from wind turbine construction and submarine construction at Electric Boat.

Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound sponsored a Ports and Waterways Safety Assessment (PAWSA) workshop, which the Coast Guard Navigation Center (NAVCEN), facilitated in Mystic over two days last November.

Its 24 participants received an advanced copy of the PAWSA report last week ahead of its future posting on the NAVCEN website. Connecticut Port Authority critic and Green Party Second District congressional candidate Kevin Blacker forwarded a copy to The Day.

Other participants included people from the Naval Submarine Base, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, City of New London, Gateway Terminal New London, Ørsted, Cross Sound Ferry, Empire Scallop, McAllister Towing and International Longshoremen's Association Local 1411.

Coast Guard Capt. Eva Van Camp, commander of Sector Long Island Sound, said in an email that participants were identified and invited for their expertise in navigation, waterway conditions and port safety, and stakeholders are included to ensure that environmental, public safety and economic consequences are considered in decisions about risk mitigations.

Participants were invited to comment this past week, so the report could change before the final version is published.

Van Camp and Lt. Cmdr. Ian Hanna, facilitator for the New London PAWSA, said the release was delayed due to changes in how the workshop was facilitated and to bureaucracy.

The report stressed that perspectives expressed shouldn’t be construed to represent views of or statements by the Coast Guard.

“The primary goal of a PAWSA workshop is to improve coordination and cooperation between government agencies and the private sector,” the report stated. The Coast Guard will use the report to determine whether and to what extent actions are necessary to address navigation safety risk.

The participants identified the highest-priority risk factors on the Thames River as traffic mix, volume of commercial traffic and congestion, noting that these risk trends are increasing but current mitigations are acceptable.

The group came up with multiple mitigation strategies, including:

The consensus was that the quality of deep draft vessels ― commercial vessels that are 1,600 gross tons or more ― is good overall and small draft vessel quality has improved a lot over the past few years, with newer equipment onboard.

Participants voiced concern about the lack of experience and equipment ― such as radios, GPS and electronic charts ― for recreational boaters, and said outreach efforts need to “drastically improve” to address their higher safety risk.

The report also highlights some of the daily calculations of waterway users. For example, submarine pilots sometimes recommend traveling on a different day due to the currents in the channel, and the piers north of the Gold Star Memorial Bridge are tough to maneuver due to changes in currents and tides.

While participants agreed that the river’s configuration is too narrow and too shallow, the multiple docks near the federal waterway “pose challenges to widening and deepening the waterway,” the report stated.

Other comments from participants included that visibility issues on both sides of the bridge cause occasional issues for the Navy; it’s not always clear at the Amtrak bridge over the Thames River if a train or submarine has priority; extreme high tides cause issues with ferry operations; and the construction of the Coast Guard Museum out of glass could cause visibility issues because of glare.

e.moser@theday.com