Waukegan (USUGN)

The principal cargo handled in the port is gypsum rock operated by National Gypsum. Waukegan Harbour & Marina lies adjacent to the commercial port and provides extensive berthing and fuel for private pleasure vessels. Waukegan had previously serviced bulk cement, however, in 2013 the LaFarge Cement Terminal was forced to close. The closure of the terminal was a culmination of Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the subsequent temporary closure of the port and low water levels within the harbour in and around 2013.

Waukegan is located on the W side of Lake Michigan in Illinois, 35nm N of Chicago Harbour.

Max LOA 207.27m, beam 23.78m and 33,438DWT.

Approx 222,000t of cargo handled annually.

The harbour approach has a reported depth of 6.7m. It is entered through a dredged entrance channel of 5.4m leading W from deep water in Lake Michigan between parallel piers to an inner harbour basin. A breakwater extending from shore on the N side of the entrance channel protects the entrance from NE seas. The outer ends of the piers and breakwater are marked by lights. It is worth noting that the W'ly segment of the N breakwater is in poor condition as the concrete structure has deteriorated.

US Coastguard Station (Waukegan Flotilla 3-5) located within the port area (42° 21.634'N., 87° 49.479'W). The coastguard station provides vessel examinations, public education classes, life-saving search and rescue, and continuous communications.

Waukegan Harbor Light (42°21'N., 087°48'W), 10.9m above the water, is shown from a white cylindrical tower with attached building on the outer end of the S pier, a fog signal is at the light. The Light is sometimes difficult to distinguish from shore lights in the background.

Caution: A foul area with a number of detached rock ledges is E of the harbour entrance. The area is marked by a buoy on the E side and a lighted buoy on the N side. Mariners should keep to N of the lighted buoy. It is reported that within the approach channel the shoaling rate averages approx 59,000ydі/y. The volume varies in the event of storms and lake levels, as shown with Hurricane Sandy. Current sediment backlog within the federal channel is 39,000ydі. As a result the channel must be maintained and constantly dredged to allow commercial vessels to enter the port. There is a speed limit of 3.5kts in the harbour.

1 x 1,000hp tug available from Waukegan.

Waukegan Port District contact info Telephone: +1 847 244 313 VHF: Ch 16

Please see country information for details of documentation requirements.

Vessels arriving in first US port: Please see country information.

Coastguard Vessel Inspection: Please see country information. There is a speed limit of 3.5kts in the harbour.

No action initiated unless there is illness onboard. Ship Sanitation Control Certificates: Please see country information.