Following prolonged assessments to make sure channel security and navigability, in addition to the complete operation of shoreside amenities, Port Tampa Bay formally reopened for marine visitors late Saturday afternoon, September 28, 2024 – three days after Hurricane Helene handed offshore of Florida’s west coast.
The port shared the reopening replace at 4:15 p.m., noting a slight depth restriction for incoming vessels.
“Port Tampa Bay has resumed vessel operations and our port’s transport channels are formally re-opened, with a 28′ depth restriction,” the notification learn.
This depth would consult with a vessel’s draft, the portion of a ship that’s underwater and should be rigorously accounted for to make sure there are not any below-the-surface obstacles or collisions.
The restrictions are anticipated to be solely short-term, although no timeline has been given for precisely when the port might return to operation with none limitation.
“Our hope is that the port’s transport channels will likely be useful at their full depths shortly. Port employees totally assessed the docks, wharfs, and terminals for security,” the assertion continued.
Port Tampa Bay is now allowing vessels to return, prioritizing vessels in numerous methods for essentially the most environment friendly return to service and respecting completely different business concerns and desires.
“Among the first vessels to return will likely be gasoline tankers, cruise ships and vessels carrying perishable cargo,” the port defined.
The primary cruise ship to enter the channel to Tampa Bay is Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Paradise, which is because of debark passengers however is not going to be embarking new vacationers instantly, as her subsequent crusing has been cancelled.
Not solely is that this ship the one most importantly delayed – she was initially scheduled to finish her present cruise on Thursday, September 26, however the port was closed – however Carnival Paradise additionally has a most draft of simply 25.5 ft. This ensures she is properly inside the short-term depth restriction for safely transiting the channel.
Further cruise ships which have itinerary adjustments as a result of port’s prolonged closure are three Royal Caribbean vessels: Serenade of the Seas, Grandeur of the Seas, and Enchantments of the Seas.
Margaritaville at Sea’s Islander can also be impacted and is not going to be returning to her homeport till Monday, September 30.
At the moment, no different cruise ships have but entered the channel to move for the cruise terminal. It takes roughly three hours for a vessel to transit the channel from the mouth of Tampa Bay, beneath the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, and to the cruise terminals on Channelside Drive.
Due to the restrictions because the port reopens, it’s potential that just one ship is being permitted within the channel at a time, or else there could also be better pace limitations in the intervening time.
It’s also potential that prioritizing gasoline tankers and perishable card is taking priority over extra cruise ships that aren’t as considerably delayed as Carnival Paradise has been.
Serenade of the Seas, for instance, was to have returned to Tampa on Friday, September 27, and it’s seemingly she would be the subsequent cruise ship permitted to return to the cruise terminal. The Radiance-class ship has a trickier draft, nonetheless, at virtually precisely 28 ft – the short-term restrict set by the port.
Grandeur of the Seas has a smaller draft at 26 ft, however was solely scheduled to return to Port Tampa Bay on Saturday, September 28, so whereas she is delayed, it isn’t but as important of a diversion.
Learn Additionally: How Ship Draft Impacts a Ship’s Efficiency
Likewise, Enchantment of the Seas is a smaller vessel with a 25-foot draft and was additionally initially scheduled for Saturday, September 28.
Margaritaville at Sea Islander has a 25.5-foot draft and isn’t scheduled to return to Tampa till Sunday, September 29. At the moment, the ship has already been delayed till Monday as different marine visitors is prioritized within the channel first.
Cruise friends are urged to contact their cruise traces instantly because the port doesn’t have particulars of itinerary updates, delays, or changes. These adjustments will likely be communicated from particular person cruise traces.
Why the Prolonged Closure?
Port Tampa Bay first closed at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, September 25 as Hurricane Helene moved north by the jap Gulf of Mexico offshore of the Florida peninsula.
Whereas the storm didn’t make landfall till reaching the Florida panhandle, the in depth wind discipline drove heavy storm surge and flash flooding alongside Florida’s west coast, together with all through the Tampa area.
This made it tough for port officers to completely examine the port amenities and guarantee full operation, channel security, and shoreside performance.
Subsequently, although different Florida homeports – Port Canaveral and Jacksonville – reopened extra shortly, Port Tampa Bay needed to be extra cautious.
“We need to specific our honest appreciation to those that helped our port put together and get better from the impression of the storm,” the port stated on its web site.
“The port’s Operations, Safety, Amenities and Engineering employees, maritime group, the U.S. Coast Guard, and our native regulation enforcement and emergency response businesses have been essential to our potential to reduce the results of the storm and assist our port to return to operations as quickly as safely potential. Our ideas and prayers are with everybody who was impacted by Hurricane Helene.”
A wide range of businesses assisted with preserving the port secure and guaranteeing its reopening as shortly as potential.
