January 22 ------ Port operations ranging from Houston to New Orleans to Mobile are all being disrupted by an unprecedented snowstorm followed by record-cold air temperatures. Lacking the equipment to deal with the snow which ranges between 1 to 6 inches in places, the ports declared a “snow day.”
Weather reports indicate the unusual weather pattern that is moving along the U.S. Gulf Coast will impact as many as 40 million people. Authorities from Texas to Louisiana and on into the Carolina are urging people to stay home. Reports are that as many as 2,000 flights have been canceled and the major seaports suspended operations.
Port Houston, the busiest on the Gulf Coast, issued an alert warning “Container terminal truck gates will close today, Monday, as planned at 4 pm. Vessel ops will be suspended this evening based on local weather conditions.” The port’s operations centers are closed on Tuesday, January 21 and the port has now announced its facilities will remain closed on Wednesday. It is planning Saturday hours to help customers catch up from the delays.
Freeze warnings for Texas remain in place till Wednesday morning. Some institutions, including the University of Houston, report it will remain closed on Wednesday, January 22, “due to continued hazardous winter weather conditions.” The university says it will resume normal operations on Thursday, January 23.
The pilots handling vessels Reuters reports sent out an alert suspending operations. According to the report, pilots were scheduled to halt ship movements just before midnight on Monday. It is anticipated the vessels will begin to move again on Wednesday when air temperatures are predicted to rebound above freeze. By the weekend, air temperatures are due to be back to 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
To the east in Louisiana, the National Weather Service issued the first-ever blizzard warning with three to six inches of snow expected. Officials are saying they have not had this level of snow since 1960 while noting the record for snowfall dates back to 1895. At the Port of New Orleans, operations were closed on Monday, January 20, for the national Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday. Both New Orleans Terminal and Ports America are closed on Tuesday and reporting due to the freeze conditions are not scheduled to resume operations till Thursday, January 22.
The Alabama Port Authority posted a notice saying it would discontinue operations and close all offices and facilities at 7 am on Tuesday, January 21. The Port Authority facilities it reports will reopen and resume operations Thursday morning at 7 am on January 23rd assuming conditions permit.
Source: maritime-executive.com
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