Virgin Islands Seaports Resume Operations after Irma

Seaports on St. Croix are open and fully functional after being closed for days due to the Hurricane Irma, the Virgin Islands Ports Authority informed.

All United States Virgin Islands seaports were closed on September 5 to all inbound commercial traffic unless authorized by the US Coast Guard’s Captain of the Port.

Meanwhile, activities are said to be underway to help transport cruise passengers out of the district of St. Thomas and St. John.

As the hurricane moves toward Florida, ports of Canaveral, Fort Pierce, Manatee, Miami, Palm Beach, Port Everglades, St. Petersburg, and Tampa Bay have been closed to inbound traffic.

However, Florida’s Port Saint John said it was resuming cruise shipping operations as of September 12, with Royal Carribean’s Grandeur of the Seas and Norwegian Gem scheduled to call at the port.

The hurricane made landfall in Florida on Sunday morning, with the eye of the storm hitting Key West packing sustained winds of 130 mph and heavy rain.

World Maritime News Staff