Port of Long Beach Cargo Operations Resume After Storm Surge

Photo courtesy Port of Long Beach

The Port of Long Beach resumed full cargo-handling operations Thursday after the storm surge produced by Hurricane Marie subsided.

Swells from Hurricane Marie reached a peak of 15 or more on Wednesday battered south facing piers and interrupted the loading and unloading of four vessels, the port said. By Thursday, the swells were reduced to 8 to 10 feet, allowing work to resume on two Mediterranean Shipping Co. containerships at Total Terminals International on Pier T, the port said.

The port added that Crescent Terminal on Pier F also resumed the unloading of Mercedes-Benz automobiles and wind towers from two vessels.

All other terminals at the Port of Long Beach remained open for vessel operations during the storm surge, and trucking operations at all terminals, including at TTI and Crescent, were unaffected.

The Port’s maintenance and engineering teams were working to clear rocks and debris washed onto roadways and terminals. There continued to be limited access to the Navy Mole extending from Pier T. The main road on the Mole, Nimitz Road, remained strewn with rocks and was closed pending an engineering assessment. There was only limited access in the area for the staff at the Sea Launch satellite launching facility and U.S. Maritime Administration supply ship.

Marie has since been reduced to a Tropical Storm with max sustained winds of 40 mph as it moves northwest at 16 mph. The storm is expected to become post-tropical tonight.