Hurricane Earl closes Caribbean ports

News was prepared under the information support of Online Daily Newspaper on Hellenic and international Shipping "Hellenic Shipping News".

31 Aug 2010

Crowley Maritime Corp. has moved its vessels out of the path of Hurricane Earl, a Category 3 storm churning in the Caribbean, while a Sea Star Line LLC ship is waiting outside the Port of San Juan, Puerto Rico It’s not yet known how fellow Jacksonville-based shipping company Trailer Bridge Inc. has responded to the storm. Charlotte, N.C.-based Horizon Lines Inc., which calls on Jacksonville, has a vessel sailing from New Jersey to San Juan, but it's not known its trip will be delayed by the storm, said Horizon spokeswoman Barbara Yeninas.
The U.S. Coast Guard on Monday morning shut down ports in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
“We can outrun any storm. We usually run for it,” said Fred Schloth, Sea Star’s assistant vice president of marketing.
He said the ship has a top speed of 24 knots, or nearly 28 mph, which is about twice as fast as a hurricane. Schloth said the company expected to know by 8 p.m. Monday whether the ship would be able to call on Puerto Rico.
“This is the first storm of the season, so everyone is reacting pretty conservatively,” said Schloth.
Crowley spokesman Mark Miller said the port is expected to open within two days and its closing will have minimum impact on the shipping company. He said vessels can either change direction to avoid the storm or move on the backside of an island to avoid the brunt of the storm.
The U.S. Coast Guard declared conditions were “zulu” at 10 a.m. Monday. Here is a breakdown of hurricane conditions and how they impact port operations:
Whiskey - Automatically set during Atlantic Hurricane season, June 1st- Nov. 30th. Hurricane conditions could develop within 72 hours.

Source: Business Journal