The channel from the Gulf to the Cochrane Bridge is shut to commercial traffic for the 8- to 10-hour tow. A safety zone will ring the berth for about four years.

Overview

The former USS Enterprise is being towed up Mobile Bay on Friday to a berth at 701 S. Royal St., where it will be taken apart. The whole ship channel, from the sea buoy to the Cochrane Bridge, is closed to commercial traffic for the tow. The Alabama Port Authority expects it to take 8 to 10 hours.

The tow was scheduled to start at 6 a.m. Friday, weather permitting, the Alabama Port Authority said. The port said any change to the schedule would be posted on that page. It had posted none by midday Friday.

The ship is the former aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-65). It has no power of its own and has to be towed, the U.S. Coast Guard said in the safety zone rule it published Nov. 12.

What is closed and for how long

The Port Authority listed the restrictions for the tow:

  • The full channel from Mobile Lighted Buoy 1 to the Cochrane Bridge is closed to commercial traffic for the length of the tow.
  • Some harbor traffic may keep moving while the ship crosses Mobile Bay.
  • Once it reaches the harbor, the Coast Guard will hold all vessel traffic until it is moored.
  • Traffic on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway is stopped where it crosses the ship channel until the carrier passes.

A 500-yard Naval Vessel Protection Zone travels with the ship until it is tied up. Boats inside 500 yards must go at the slowest speed that keeps a safe course. Coming within 100 yards needs permission from the Coast Guard or an official patrol, the Port Authority said.

The Coast Guard said the channel safety zone affects the area “for a few hours on one day.” It ends once the carrier is moored, according to the rule.

Where it will be dismantled

The receiving yard is on the west side of the Mobile River at 701 S. Royal St., the Coast Guard said. The Port Authority named it as the Modern American Recycling Services facility.

The Navy awarded the contract to dismantle the ship in June 2026, the Coast Guard rule says. Under it:

  • the ship will be taken apart in its entirety
  • all of the material will be recycled or disposed of
  • hazardous materials, including low-level radioactive waste, will be packaged and moved to licensed disposal sites

A second, fixed safety zone covers the water around the berth while the ship is there. The rule runs through May 11, 2030. The Coast Guard estimates the dismantling will take about four years.

That zone sits outside the federal channel. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expects it to have no effect on commercial traffic, the Port Authority said.

The Coast Guard gave its reasons for the berth zone. Crews, equipment and response boats will be working on and around the hull for years. The work includes removing hazardous and regulated material, including radiological material, the rule says.

The rule changed after public comment. Two commenters asked for clearer limits on the berth zone. The Coast Guard now defines it by map coordinates instead of a radius around the ship. It also dropped a planned moving safety zone, because the Navy’s protection zone covers the voyage.

What it means for you

  • Boaters: Monitor VHF Channel 16 for Coast Guard instructions. Expect law enforcement boats along the route and follow their directions, the Port Authority said.
  • Permission to enter: Ask on VHF Channel 16 or call the Coast Guard Sector Mobile Command Center at (251) 266-5888.
  • After Friday: The berth zone stays in place while the ship is at 701 S. Royal St. You may not enter it without Coast Guard permission.
  • Questions about the rule: The Coast Guard’s contact is its Sector Mobile waterways management division, (251) 382-8653.

The exact boundaries of both zones are in Army Corps Mobile District Navigation Bulletins 26-143 and 26-144, the Port Authority said.