Miami, Lauderdale ports to shut for Ernesto

updated 9:49 p.m. ET Aug. 28, 2006

NEW YORK - The Florida ports of Miami and Fort Lauderdale were set to shut to all inbound vessel traffic on Monday evening due to Tropical Storm Ernesto, a U.S. Coast Guard official said.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Monday Ernesto was likely to miss the Gulf of Mexico and strike the Florida peninsula before passing into the Atlantic later this week.

"We're preparing to shut down Miami and Fort Lauderdale ports sometime this evening, within two hours," the U.S. Coast Guard official said.

As part of the protocol, the ports have to be shut 24 hours before the arrival of hurricane winds, the official said.

"All incoming vessel traffic will be halted, except for essential cargoes, such as oil tankers," he said.

However, the oil tankers would be allowed into the ports on a case-by-case basis, he added.

Oil tankers would have to stay out at sea if the ports have enough oil in storage, he said.

Some oil traders in the Northeast said there were no gasoline tankers heading to Miami and Fort Lauderdale at this time

No impact on gas supply expected
"It (the storm) will not have a major impact on the gasoline market," a gasoline trader said. "There may be some tankers heading for Tampa, but nothing for Miami."

Another trader said there might be some tankers delivering fuel oil to Miami for power generation.

On the west coast of Florida, the ports remained open to all commercial traffic, but a shipping advisory to recreational boat users was issued Monday, a second U.S. Coast Guard official said.

"All recreational boaters have been advised to stay out of the water and stay clear of the beaches and low-lying areas," she said.

In the freight market, the tanker rates in the Caribbean market continued to fall late on Monday, shrugging off the potential bullish impact from the storm.

Precautions in Cuba
Ernesto drenched eastern Cuba on Monday, then aimed north toward the warm waters of the open Caribbean sea and Florida where forecasters expected it to hit shore as a hurricane.

Ernesto became the Atlantic season’s first hurricane Sunday morning, then weakened to a tropical storm after dumping rain on Haiti’s denuded mountains. It was expected to regain strength after passing over Cuba near the prison at the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay where about 445 inmates were safe inside their windowless or storm-hardened cells.

Military personnel, except for guards and people in other critical jobs, were told to stay in their quarters until the storm passed, said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jeffrey Gordon, a Department of Defense spokesman.

MORE FROM WEATHER

Weather Section Front

Carlos weakens over Pacific Canadian tornado kills 2 Americans Tropical Storm Carlos forms in Pacific El Nino conditions return to affect weather Drought turns dire in parts of Texas China floods drive 700,000 from homes 22 die in Vietnam landslides, floods Floods leave 500,000 homeless in India El Nino has two personalities, study finds Baaad news: Shrinking sheep tied to warming Weather Section Front   Add Weather headlines to your news reader: