Curacao Willemstad

Pilot boarding position: 3/4 mile west of the harbour entrance. Situated on the south coast in the middle of the island. Consists of the St. Annabay channel and adjacent inner bay called Schottegat. The St. Annabay channel is 1400 yards long and has a minimum width of 270 feet, with depths from 50 to 79 feet. The Schottegat is a 150 acre body of water with a minimum depth of 10 feet and a maximum of 79 feet. Maximum length permissible: 850 feet I.o.a. with a 42-foot draft. Ships of 950 feet have been piloted into the harbour. The navigable position of the entrance of the port is 865 feet wide, marked on either side by a light-buoy, and the minimum depth is 50 feet.

The St. Annabay is crossed by two bridges: the Queen Emma floating pontoon bridge and the Queen Juliana fixed bridge. Lather bridge, which dominates Willemstad's skyline and is the entrance to the Schottegat, is 185 feet high, enabling the largest vessel to pass under. This bridge is of box girder construction and is open to automobile traffic only. Glare-proof lights are installed to prevent interference with signals that harbour pilots rely on when bringing a ship through the channel.

As a rule there is no anchorage area in the harbour of Willemstad, but in the eastern part of the Schottegat there is a dolphin on each side with a mooring buoy available to await berth or orders for limited time, subject to permission and conditions from the Harbourmaster. Four (4) vessels, two (2) alongside each other, can be safely moored at these buoys. The depth is 40 feet and the distance between each buoy and the dolphin 1000 feet.

Berths on each side of the St. Annabay with depths varying from 18 to 33 feet alongside are generally used for bunkering, dry cargo and passenger vessels.

On the eastern side are tour (4) wharves:
HANDELSKADE draft 18 feet
KLEINE WERF draft 24 feet I.o.a.: 460 ft/140 meters
GROTE WERF draft 31 feet I.o.a.: 710 ft/217 meters
SALAZAR WERF draft 24 feet I.o.a.: 300 ft/11 O meters

On the western side are three (3) wharves:
MATHEY WERF draft 23 feet I.o.a.: 650 ft/198 meters
WEST WERF I draft 25 feet I.o.a.: 480 ft/146 meters
WEST WERF II draft 36 feet I.o.a.: 430 ft/132 meters