Ferry routes between Swan Quarter, Cedar Island and Ocracoke suspended due to shoaling

Published 5:27 pm Thursday, April 8, 2021

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The North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Ferry Division announced it is suspending all service on the Pamlico Sound between Cedar Island, Swan Quarter and Ocracoke through Monday, April 12 due to worsening shoaling issues in the ferry channel just outside of Ocracoke’s Silver Lake Harbor.

“Shoaling occurs when sand and sediment fill into a ferry channel, making water depths too shallow and the channel too narrow for safe operation of the ferry system’s vessels,” stated the NCDOT press release.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues to work in the Bigfoot Slough channel to clear the shoaling, stated NCDOT.

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The Ferry Division will reassess channel conditions on Monday and make a decision on whether to resume service at that time.

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