[blau993]

I notice there is a ferry terminal in the harbor not far from the berth they were probably going for. If the harbor is shallow, as I gather this one was, ferries can wreak all sorts of havoc with charted depths. They churn up a lot of mud with their props and their bow thrusters as they turn to go in and out of their slips.

I use the Cape May Canal to take my boat between Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, and the waters off the ferry terminal at the Delaware Bay end of the canal are always tricky. You watch your depth gauge like a hawk and go very slowly, ready to throw the throttle into full reverse at the slightest bump.

That said, a harbor pilot ought to know this and ought to know where the ferries typically reduce the depth.

[ExpatGator]

Good points on the effect of prop wash around busy docks in silty harbors.