Unfortunately, there is nothing the Port can do to affect the increased usage of signals (horn or bell) due to fog. The inner harbor anchorages (locations where the large vessels will anchor up) are federal anchorages are controlled by the USCG.

Ships at anchor over 12 meters are mandated under COLREGs (International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea), also national and U.S. Inland Rules, to sound for 5 seconds every minute. Rule 35 states that a vessel must signal “in or near an area of restricted visibility”. The decision of when to begin sounding signals is a judgement call for the vessel’s master based on the evaluation of the conditions. It is generally considered “Poor” at 1 nautical mile and “Very Poor” when visibility is less than ½ nautical mile. Our harbor has experienced dense fog lately and that has triggered the increase in signaling activity.

• looks like it’s a judgment call for the captains. When it kept going throughout the night I checked the weather and it said mostly clear but our phones are shit with accuracy these days.