Harbor Safety Plan

Lower Columbia Region Harbor Safety Plan

The Harbor Safety Plan of the Lower Columbia Region Harbor Safety Committee is an informational and educational tool. The Plan complements the existing regulations and advises mariners of the unique conditions and requirements that may be encountered in the Lower Columbia Region. Local experts from industry, regulatory agencies, and the public developed these standards to provide guidelines for mariners operating in the Columbia River.

The Harbor Safety Plan is reviewed by the LCRHSC on a regular basis. The review process for the Harbor Safety Plan is currently underway and individual chapter updates will be posted here once approved. 

The full Harbor Safety Plan is available for download below, or alternatively, you can choose to download/view individual chapters. The current Plan was approved in December 2017 with section updates to Anchorage Guidelines, Lightering Guidelines, Required Charts and Publications Guidelines, and Small Vessels and Make Way Guidelines approved in September 2018,

Reviews of the Aids to Navigation Guidelines, Navigation Practices and Incident Management Guidelines took place in 2021 and the Harbor Safety Plan Introduction and Bunkering Guidelines were approved in 2022.  Reviews of the Medical Emergencies Aboard Ships at Anchor and Dead Ship Tow Guidelines were approved in 2023.  The approved section updates can be found below.

2017 Approved Harbor Safety Plan

2023 Harbor Safety Plan (Includes recently updated Chapters)