Ocean shipping: Port of New Orleans in solid shape after Hurricane Gustav

Jeff Berman, Group News Editor -- Logistics Management, 9/3/2008

NEW ORLEANS—With a combination of Hurricane Gustav falling short of expectations and precise logistics planning, the Port of New Orleans appears to be in decent condition, according to port officials.

With the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina from three years ago still fresh in the minds of New Orleans—and the Nation’s—mind, the damage inflicted by Gustav, when compared to Katrina, was minimal.

As of Monday, September 1, the New Orleans’ floodwall and other levees in the city withstood Gustav, a Category 2 storm, according to various media reports. The Boston Globe reported that Gustav made landfall on Saturday, August 30, with the eye of the storm crossing over Cocodrie, Louisiana—60 miles southwest of New Orleans—at around 11 a.m. And although Gustav was weakening just before landfall, the Globe reported it was still moving with 110-mile-per-hour winds and 12-foot storm surges in places. The National Weather Service reported that Gustav knocked out power to roughly half a million homes and unleashed hurricane-force winds across the region.

And in anticipation of the storm, the Port of New Orleans ceased operations on Sunday, August 31 after completing its cargo operations on Saturday, August 30. Shutting down port operations was part of the port’s “four phase storm plan.”

Other phases included locking down cranes, port tenants finishing up removing any hazards from the wharves, and port confirming that key personnel and supplies were in place. Phase I, which takes effect every year on June 1, is comprised of preparing all of the supplies and personnel that it will need to weather a storm, according to the port.

“Things are ‘so far, so good’ here,” said Port of New Orleans spokesman Chris Bonura in an interview.

As far as when the Port of New Orleans will re-open for deep-draft vessel traffic, Bonura said that will depend on what the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration find when they inspect the mouth of the Mississippi River and conduct sound readings of the channel at its Southwest Pass to determine how quickly they can restore commerce to the Mississippi River.

“Looking at our facilities, the place where we do the bulk of our operations on the Mississippi River—the river terminals—were in fairly good shape with minimal damage in that area,” said Bonura. “We feel confident we will be able to get things up and running pretty quickly.”

And with a mandatory evacuation ordered for New Orleans citizens, Bonura said it looks like the city’s labor force will be able to get back into town fairly soon.

The Port of New Orleans said on Tuesday, September 2 that its Mississippi River facilities that comprise more than 80 percent of its cargo operations, received minimal wind damage, and the port sustained minimal damage to its Mississippi River facilities from the Henry Clay Avenue Wharf upriver to the Alabo Street Terminal downriver, with minor damage like damaged fencing, transformers, doors, and signage reported.

Port officials also reported that flooding occurred on the eastern side of the port’s industrial canal (Inner Harbor Navigation Channel) outside of the levee system. This part of the port includes less than 20 percent of its operations.

“Before Katrina we had about 20 percent of our cargo operations in that area,” said Bonura. “It is actually less than that now, with some cargo operations still there. There are currently inspections going on to see what the extent of damage was in that area was, but it is too early to know right now.”