Dive Brief:
- Some shipping lines are adjusting their port rotations as ports close to ride out Hurricane Florence — which made landfall near Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, at 7:15 a.m. Friday.
- "We anticipate Hurricane Florence to result in delays for affected vessels, which will vary depending on the storm’s impact," Kevin Speers, Director of Corporate Communications for CMA CGM, told Supply Chain Dive in an email.
- Containers were still moving out of the Port of Norfolk by rail Thursday, but rail operations will cease Friday when ports close in Charleston, South Carolina, Wilmington, North Carolina, along with Norfolk, Virginia.
Dive Insight:
"This is just a strange bird," said University of Georgia meteorology professor Marshall Shepherd to the AP of the changeable Hurricane Florence, now downgraded to a Category 2, but still not to be underestimated.
Indeed, the Port of Virginia, which originally announced terminals would close Wednesday evening to brace for Florence, reopened with normal operating hours on Thursday, September 13. Most operations at the Virginia port will close for the day Friday but reopen with weekday hours Saturday and abbreviated hours Sunday.
As the storm seems more likely to swing South once it makes landfall, Georgia's ports will possibly be more affected than originally thought. On Wednesday, the Coast Guard set the Port of Savannah at condition X-Ray, meaning gale force winds are expected within 48 hours.
The ports in Charleston and Wilmington closed for the week Wednesday evening. The South Carolina Ports Authority website says that some operations may be possible on Sunday.
Major shipping lines appear to have different approaches to keeping business moving despite the storm.
"At this time, CMA CGM has not changed any port rotations, although we are continuously monitoring the weather situation and decisions taken by the ports and U.S. Coast Guard," Speers said on Wednesday.
Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) announced in a client advisory email that some of its vessels will be skipping port calls in Savannah and Charleston, while others will change their rotations to avoid the storm.
