PortFacilities
IWAKUNI/KURE
PORT FACILITIES
Iwakuni
The Port of Iwakuni (commercial) and the Port of Iwakuni (military) are sometimes mistakenly considered one and the same. The latter, operated by the United States Marine Corps Air Station, is located about three miles south of the commercial port (see Figure 5). The Port of Iwakuni will hereafter refer to the military port.
Pilotage is not compulsory in Iwakuni, but is available at the quarantine anchorage from 1 hour after sunrise to 1 hour before sunset. Pilots can be contacted via VHF Channels 12 and 16. The call sign is "Iwakuni-ho-an".
MCAS Iwakuni Port Facility has no tug services. Commercial barges and tugs are available on a contract basis and can be contracted through the MCAS Iwakuni Logistics Department. Arrangements for commercial barges and tugs must be made at least 48 hours in advance of the desired work time. Commercial tugs range from 3,000 to 3,600 hp. The Port Operations building can be viewed in Figure 6.
Points of contact (DSN): OIC Port Facility 253-6676, Harbor Master 253-3493/4084, Logistics Officer 253-6839, Contracting Officer 253-6551, Facilities Officer 253-4566, and Weather Service 253-4435. Harbor Operations E-mail - iwkn.smb.port.ops@usmc.mil, Harbor Operations bridge-to-bridge radio channels 74 and 16. For a commercial line use 082779 and the last 4 digits.
For ships transiting Shimonoseki Kaikyo, the Kanmon Pilot Association pilots are used (093) 332-7191. For ships transiting Bungo Suido, the Inland Sea Association pilots are used (093) 332-7191. There are approximately 144 Inland Sea pilots.
There are no repair facilities in the Port of Iwakuni.
The Inner Harbor is composed of a General Purpose Wharf, Multi-purpose Wharf (Ammunition Wharf), Fuel Pier, and Small Craft Piers (Figure 7 and Figure 8). The Outer Harbor, marked on the charts as a prohibited area, has the MCAS Iwakuni deep-draft anchorages.
The General Purpose (GP) Wharf (Figure 9 and Figure 10) has a length of 1,181 ft (m) and a depth alongside (mean low tide) of 44.8 ft (12.8 m). This pier can accommodate LHA/LHD class ships on a transient basis since no hotel services are available. Two PCs and 2 MCMs could be tied up to the pier and would use approximately 950 ft. An LHD would also take up about 950 ft of space. The rubber fenders at GP Pier are chained and placed with approximately 75 ft of separation. The Fuel Pier (Figure 11 and Figure 12) has a length of 433 ft (m) and a depth (mean low tide) of 52.5 ft (16 m). The Fuel Pier can accommodate a T-1 class tanker. Future plans include dredging so that the Fuel Pier can accommodate up to a T-5 class tanker. The Ammunition Wharf (Figure 13) has a length of 466 ft (m) and a depth (mean low tide) of 59.5 ft (18.1 m). The deck height for these berths (low tide) is 18 ft (4 m). The Small Craft Piers can be viewed in Figure 14 and Figure 15 and can be used as the Fleet Landing when ships are anchored in the Outer Harbor. All of the berthing areas are structurally sound and the facilities including the bollards and fendering are new and in excellent shape.
Kure
Pilotage is not compulsory, but is advisable for those without the aid of local knowledge. Inland Sea pilots board 3 nmi south of Sekisaki Light. Harbor/berthing pilots are available during daylight hours only and board vessels at the quarantine anchorage. VHF Channels 16 and 12 are used. A pilot liaison office is located at Kure.
U.S. Navy ships normally tie up at the JMSDF berths in Kure. The use of these berths is controlled by the JMSDF.
Figure 16 shows Kure-ko, the quarantine anchorage area, and the JMSDF piers and wharf areas. The JMSDF piers/wharves are labeled "A", "S", "F", "E", and "D" in Figure 17. Figure 18 provides a view of the JMSDF piers as you enter Kure-ko.
Wharf "A" is 225 m long with an alongside depth of 10-11 m. Pier "S" provides berths for submarines and was extended to 300 m in March 2008 (Figure 19 and Figure 20). The depth alongside is 10-15 m. Figure 21 provides a view of Pier "F". The length of Pier "F" is 240 m with an alongside depth of 10-15 m. Figure 22 shows the fendering on this pier. Pier "E" is 360 m long with a depth alongside of 10-15 m. Figure 16 does not accurately depict some of the piers. Pier "E" is extended as depicted in Figure 17.
Two U.S. LCMs can be viewed at the small boat piers in Figure 23. In the background is the Kure Office for the U.S. Army 836th Transportation Batallion. This office is in close proximity to the JMSDF Kure District Headquarters.
Other facilities at the commercial Port of Kure include heavy lift cranes, dry docks, and other equipment normally associated with a busy, deep-water port.
Source: http://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/port_studies/thh-nc/japan/iwakuni_kure/text/port_facilities.htm
