US ports in the state of Carolina have begun to resume operations in the wake of Hurricane Florence which made landfall on Friday.
Late on Saturday the Coast Guard Captain of the Port (COTP) reopened the Port of Georgetown without restrictions.
However, due to potential effects from Hurricane Florence throughout the Georgetown area, mariners were urged to transit with caution considering the possibility of aids to navigation discrepancies or other hazards to navigation.
The Port of Georgetown has been closed since 13 September prior to Hurricane Florence impacting South Carolina.
“The Coast Guard in South Carolina is committed to a swift recovery from the storm with search and rescue operations and safety of life as our ongoing priority,” said Captain John Reed, Sector Charleston commander.
“Our next priority is to resume the flow of maritime commerce stability through the ports of South Carolina.”
Late Saturday also saw the Port of Virginia reopen the main shipping channel and all terminals claiming there had been “little impact”.
The Port of Virginia oversees the main export coal artery of Hampton Roads – the biggest US port for coal exports.
“We were very fortunate here, there was minimal impact and now we are reaching out to see how we can help those in North Carolina and South Carolina,” port spokeswoman Cathie Vick told Platts.
The Port of Virginia processed a record 258,821-teu in August, an increase of nearly 8% when compared with the same month last year.
Late last week Kinder Morgan ceased construction activities at its $2bn liquefaction plant construction project at the Elba Island LNG Terminal in Georgia in advance of the arrival of Hurricane Florence.
However, the Elba Island LNG Terminal itself will remain in operation, the company said.
Kinder Morgan also said that other company assets in the path of the storm were likely to experience partial or temporary shutdowns during the storm including its liquids and bulk terminals along the coasts of South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Georgia.
At its LNG exporting terminal at Cove Point in Maryland, Dominion Energy said it "had activated its severe weather preparation and response plan in anticipation of the expected high winds and heavy rain."
Latest reports says Hurricane Florence has now weakened to a tropical depression, and forecasters are warning of continued heavy rainfall and flooding still to come.
