US Coast Guard notice of arrival: deadlines, contents and eNOAD
A ship bound for a US port sends a notice of arrival (NOA) to the Coast Guard’s National Vessel Movement Center before it gets there. This guide covers when it is due, what goes in it and how to send it, for a foreign-flag merchant ship on a standard voyage.
When is the notice due?
Enter the arrival at the US port in that port’s local time, and how long the voyage from the last port takes.
The deadline shows here once the arrival date and voyage time are in.
Who sends a notice of arrival
The rules apply to US vessels in commercial service and to all foreign vessels bound for or leaving a port or place in US navigable waters, which include internal waters, the territorial sea and deepwater ports (§ 160.203). The owner, agent, master, operator or person in charge is responsible for sending it, so in practice the master or the agent submits it.
Some vessels are exempt, among them public vessels, oil spill response vessels at work, and vessels that stay inside a single Captain of the Port zone without certain dangerous cargo. The full list is in § 160.204.
When the notice is due
The deadline depends on the voyage time from the last port (§ 160.212):
| Voyage time | Submit the notice |
|---|---|
| 96 hours or more | At least 96 hours before arriving at the US port |
| Less than 96 hours | Before leaving the last port, and at least 24 hours before arriving |
Two kinds of vessel have their own times. A towing vessel in control of a vessel carrying certain dangerous cargo, working only between ports of the lower 48 states, Alaska and the District of Columbia, submits before departure and at least 12 hours before arriving. A US vessel of 300 gross tons or less, coming from a foreign port on a voyage of under a day, submits at least 60 minutes before leaving that port. Canadian vessels of that size crossing the boundary waters to a US Great Lakes port follow the same rule.
What goes in the notice
Table 160.206 in § 160.206 lists every item. For a ship without certain dangerous cargo, the notice holds:
- Vessel: name, registered owner, flag, call sign, IMO number, operator, charterer, classification society, MMSI, whether the ship is 300 gross tons or less, and the vessel response plan control number where there is one.
- Voyage: the last five foreign ports with arrival and departure dates, the US port and receiving facility, the expected arrival and departure there, the ship’s position when reporting, a 24-hour contact, whether the voyage is under 24 hours, and the last port with its dates.
- Cargo: a general description, such as grain, containers or oil. A ship with certain dangerous cargo also names each one with its UN number and amount.
- Each crew member: full name, date of birth, nationality, passport or mariner’s document number, position on board, and where they joined. See crew details on a US notice of arrival.
- Each other person on board: full name, date of birth, nationality, passport number and where they joined.
- Equipment: the operating condition of the navigation equipment required by 33 CFR part 164.
- ISM Code notice: expiry dates of the company’s Document of Compliance and the ship’s Safety Management Certificate, and who issued them. Ships under 500 gross tons leave this out.
- ISPS Code notice: the International Ship Security Certificate’s issue date and type, a declaration that the ship security plan is being implemented, and the Company Security Officer’s 24-hour contact. US vessels leave this out.
How to send it
Notices go to the National Vessel Movement Center (§ 160.210), either on the eNOAD website or as the NVMC Excel workbook. The workbook can be imported into eNOAD or emailed to [email protected]. A ship with no internet access or a failed onboard computer, and no shore support, may fax the notice to 1-800-547-8724 or 304-264-2684, or phone it in on 1-800-708-9823 or 304-264-2502.
The NVMC workbook’s own instructions estimate 62 minutes to prepare a notice of arrival. An update is quicker, at about a fifth of that.
Updating a notice you already sent
When something in a submitted notice stops being accurate, revise and resubmit it (§ 160.208). Arrival or departure times that move by less than 6 hours, the ship’s position, and crew members’ positions or duties need no update. While 24 hours or more of the voyage remain, updates are due at least 24 hours before arriving; after that, at least 12 hours before. More on updates.
Filling the workbook from the ship’s records
Most of the notice repeats what the ship already holds: particulars, certificates, the crew list and the last ports. MyShipDesk keeps those records, fills the NVMC workbook from them for each call, and lists any required item still missing before you import the file into eNOAD.