EMB145 FLT CREW REPORTS DELAYS AND REROUTES CAUSING A MIN FUEL DECLARATION DURING VECTORS AT EWR.

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THE FLT WAS DISPATCHED WITH 5500 LBS OF FUEL. UPON GETTING IFR CLRNC; THERE WAS NO MENTION OF ANY DELAYS GOING INTO EWR. DURING TAXI OUT TO THE RWY; GND CTL ADVISED OF AN EDC TIME OF 10 MINS FROM THE CURRENT TIME. 1 ENG WAS LEFT RUNNING DURING THIS WAIT. AFTER THE 10 MINS; GND CTL INSTRUCTED US TO TAXI TO THE RWY. AS TWR WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF INSTRUCTING US TO TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD; HE CHANGED HIS MIND AND SAID THERE WAS A NEW EDC OF 10 MINS FROM THE CURRENT TIME. THE #1 ENG WAS SHUT DOWN; WHILE #2 WAS KEPT RUNNING. AFTER THE 10 MINS; TWR GAVE US A TKOF CLRNC. WE TOOK OFF WITH 5200 LBS (4900 LBS WAS THE MINIMUM ALLOWABLE FUEL AMOUNT TO TAKE OFF). DURING THE CLB; ATC ISSUED A RERTE; WHICH TOOK THE RTE OF FLT MUCH FURTHER N THAN PLANNED. IMMEDIATELY AFTER ACCEPTING THE RERTE; THE CAPT MADE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO CONTACT DISPATCH TO SEE IF WE HAD THE FUEL TO CONTINUE ON THE RERTE. I USED THE DIAL ACCESS TO TRY AND REACH THE COMPANY; WITH NO ANSWER; AND THE CAPT MADE MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS ON 2 DIFFERENT RADIO FREQS TO CONTACT DISPATCH; ALSO WITH NO LUCK. THE FMS TOLD US THAT WE WOULD BE LNDG WITH 1900 LBS (I AM AWARE THIS IS NOT TO BE USED FOR PLANNING PURPOSES; ALTHOUGH IT IS VERY ACCURATE; AND GIVEN THE SITUATION; IT WAS THE ONLY DATA AVAILABLE TO DETERMINE IF WE HAD ENOUGH FUEL) SO WE CONTINUED ON THE RERTE. UPON NEARING THE TERMINAL AREA; CTR AND APCH WERE ISSUING RADAR VECTORS; MOST OF WHICH WERE NOT SHORTENING OUR FLT TIME. WHILE ON DOWNWIND; ABEAM THE IAF FOR THE ILS RWY 4R; THE CAPT ASKED ATC WHAT OUR SEQUENCE WAS TO LAND ON RWY 4R AT EWR; AND ATC ADVISED THAT WE WERE 12TH IN LINE. AT THIS TIME WE HAD 1600 LBS OF FUEL ON BOARD (THE FUEL GAUGES TURN AMBER AT 800 LBS PER ENG; WHICH DOES NOT GIVE A PLEASANT FEELING). THIS IS WHEN THE CAPT ADVISED ATC WE WERE GOING TO HAVE TO DECLARE MINIMUM FUEL. AT THIS TIME ATC SAID OK; AND GAVE US AN IMMEDIATE L TURN TO INTERCEPT THE LOC. FROM THIS POINT WE LANDED AND TAXIED TO THE GATE WITHOUT INCIDENT. WE LANDED WITH 1500 LBS OF FUEL. THE EVENT OCCURRED DUE TO THE FLT BEING DISPATCHED WITH 5500 LBS OF FUEL; RECEIVING 2 UNEXPECTED DELAYS ON THE GND; BEING RERTED IN THE AIR TO A COURSE MUCH FURTHER N AND OUT OF THE WAY OF THE ORIGINAL; BEING VECTORED BACK AND FORTH IN THE TERMINAL AREA; AND NOT BEING ABLE TO GET HOLD OF DISPATCH USING MULTIPLE METHODS; AND MULTIPLE FREQS.