U.S. Coast Guard Sector Virginia

U.S. Coast Guard Sector Virginia banner

Sector Virginia

4000 Coast Guard Blvd
Portsmouth, VA 23703

24-hour Command Center Phone: 877-722-5727

Welcome to Sector Virginia!

Sector Virginia is a tenant unit located on Base Portsmouth in Portsmouth, Virginia. The sector was established with the merging of Marine Safety Office Hampton Roads, Group Hampton Roads, and Group Eastern Shore on July 15, 2005.

Mission

Sector Virginia is an operational field unit engaged in all facets of:

  • Search and Rescue
  • Maritime Law Enforcement
  • Foreign and Domestic Vessel Inspections
  • Fishing, Towing, Charter and Attraction Vessel Exams
  • Marine Casualty Investigations
  • Port Safety and Security
  • Homeland Defense / Military Readiness
  • Waterways Management
  • Waterfront Facility Inspections
  • Marine Environmental Protection
  • Aids to Navigation

Area of Responsibility

Sector Virginia area of responsibility covers the Atlantic Coast from the Virginia/Maryland border to the Virginia/North Carolina border, the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, the Virginia portion of the Intracoastal Waterway, some inland lakes and the busy commercial ports that comprise the Port of Virginia.

Field Units / Personnel

The team at Sector Virginia is comprised of nearly 480 Active Duty and civilian personnel, 130 Reservists and 1300 Auxiliarists. Sector personnel are located on Base Portsmouth and in the downtown Norfolk Federal Building.

  • Six multi-mission boat stations
  • Three Aids-To-Navigation Teams
  • One Sector Field Office

In an Average Year...

  • Respond to over 1,000 search and rescue cases and more than 500 law enforcement and security cases.
  • Conduct over 550 safety inspections on U.S.-flagged vessels.
  • Conduct inspections on over 1,500 intermodal containers.
  • Conduct safety and pollution prevention boardings on over 300 of the 3,000 foreign-flag vessels entering the Port of Hampton Roads.
  • Respond to and investigate nearly 400 reports of oil and hazardous material releases, over 200 marine casualties, and take actions against mariners who hold Coast Guard-issued credentials.
  • Inspect over 70 waterfront facilities.
  • Conduct over 300 Commercial Fishing Vessel and Towing Vessel Examinations.
  • Track more than 5,000 commercial ships entering the Chesapeake Bay and more than 21,000 total vessel movements through the Harbor Surveillance System.
  • Conduct hundreds of security boardings on vessels entering the port.
  • Conduct thousands of harbor patrols and plan and execute eleven contingency exercises for events such as oil spills and natural disasters.