The Port of Mobile has reopened operations and returned to regular scheduling after shuttering ahead of Hurricane Isaias, according to a Saturday update from the Alabama Port Authority.
The port had closed to vessel traffic and suspended cargo-handling operations, except for Coast Guard-authorized activities, on Friday, per an Oct. 9 update.
“The U.S. Coast Guard has established Port Condition ZULU for the Port of Mobile, indicating gale-force winds are expected within 12 hours,” the port said last week.
Hurricane Isaias was expected to impact the Florida Panhandle and Alabama coasts, according to a National Hurricane Center public advisory published Friday.
Ahead of the Category 3 storm, the port worked to secure its facilities to protect personnel, cargo and equipment, the port said. Vessel operations were to remain closed until further assessment was conducted. The port said Friday that reopening vessel traffic would also depend on Coast Guard assessments and authorization.
Maximum sustained winds were near 120 mph and fluctuations were expected to be at or near major hurricane strength when the storm made landfall Friday evening. “Through the weekend, Isaias is expected to produce rainfall amounts of 4 to 8 inches across southern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend, and southwest Georgia,” per the Friday advisory.
The storm was likely to become post-tropical by late Saturday, per the advisory.
The Port of Mobile has container, general cargo, and bulk facilities, which have close access to five Class I railroads, four short-line railroads, and nearly 15,000 miles of inland waterways, per the port’s website.
Port of Mobile’s single container terminal is managed by APM Terminals and handles around 600,000 TEUs annually, with the ability to move its gateway up to a 2.5 million TEU throughput, APM Terminals Mobile managing director Brian Harold told Supply Chain Dive.
Automotive is a huge business sector in the state of Alabama. The port has an AutoMobile International Terminal that manages vehicle handling and processing capabilities. The facility handles roll-on/roll-off operations with a capacity for 150,000 vehicles annually. It also has 7,000 on-site storage spaces, and a 40,000-square-foot processing center used for pre-delivery inspections, accessorization and more.
Editors' note: This story has been updated to reflect the Port of Mobile's status as of Monday morning.
