USCG Inspects Ports After Irma

• 2017 Hurricane Preparedness - After the Storm

Recovering From
Hurricane Irma

Now that the hurricane has moved out of Florida, it's time for the recovery to begin.

One of the main tasks falls on the U.S. Coast Guard: determining the condition of the Florida Ports (as well as those in other states along Irma's path) and getting marine vessels moving again.


Port Tampa Bay

https://www.tampaport.com/
@PortTampaBay


STATUS:  Opened at 2PM Sept. 12th

#BREAKING #USCG @USCGSoutheast United States Coast Guard estimates re-opening @PortTampaBay at 2pm on Tuesday. Three fuel vessels expected.

Florida's Governor reported that dozens of tanker trucks were loaded with gas (with fuel stored at Port Tampa Bay), and continue to be filled tonight. They are delivering fuel to the Tampa Bay area and beyond.  The fuel vessels waiting offshore for the port to reopen will replenish the supply.

Port of Miami

STATUS:  Carnival Reports Port Opened Sept. 12th

PortMiami will open tomorrow, September 12th. Marine Terminals POMTOC and SFCT may open Wednesday depending on final assessments. Cruise travelers should contact their cruise line directly for more information on cruise itineraries.

Please stay connected via www.portmiami.biz and on Twitter @PortMiami @MiamiDadeCounty @MiamiDadeEM for official updates. The port will remain closed for marine traffic at least through 4 p.m. Tuesday, September 12. Upon conclusion of side sonar underwater inspections by NOAA we will update the public as to the opening of PortMiami's navigational channels.

Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale)

STATUS:  Opened at 9:44 AM Sept. 12th

@PortEverglades
http://www.porteverglades.net/ 

Broward County offices, including Port Everglades, will reopen for normal business hours tomorrow, Tuesday, September 12. Port staff should contact their supervisor with any questions. Damage assessment and recovery efforts are continuing. Port Everglades will fully reopen following approval from the U.S. Coast Guard.

Disembarkation / Embarkation ports for Carnival Cruises have been posted now that the ports are open.  See their September 12th 9:30 PM Advisory.

Port Canaveral

STATUS:  Opened  Sept. 12th

Hurricane Irma Port Canaveral Update

BCSO, Canaveral Fire Rescue has been on scene at Port making preliminary assessments; no major damage noted at this point. All vessels that remained in port are secure. We will begin assessing general harbor conditions soon to facilitate return to normal operations as soon as possible. Port remains closed until further notice.

Cruise Passengers

Cruise passengers who have had their cruises extended, due to Hurricane Irma, are now heading towards Miami or other ports for disembarkation once the ports have reopened. In addition to letting passengers return from extended voyages, cruise lines are mobilizing to provide humanitarian aid to the Caribbean islands that were impacted.

See Hurricane Irma Cruise Ship Impact for the latest plans regarding future sailings and humanitarian efforts. Getting the ports reopened is a critical part of getting disaster relief to remote areas. Thank you to the United States Coast Guard and other Federal and Local agencies who are taking part in the massive efforts to get Florida's infrastructure re-established.

Tweets about @USCGSoutheast

Panama Canal Expansion

Images from our Panama Canal Transit

Panama Canal

100 Years Anniversary

Developing a water passage across the Isthmus of Panama uniting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans dates to the early 16th century. 

Official Opening

August 15, 2014

We won't attempt to cover the history here. Instead, we will focus on a milestone which occurs this year, the 100th anniversary of the Panama Canal and the status of expansion plans to bring the canal into its next 100 years. For information on the canal's history, please see the official Panama Canal site.

Panamax

Panamax specifications have been in effect since the opening of the canal in 1914. Ships that do not fall within the Panamax-sizes are called post-Panamax.  Currently ships that are a maximum of 965 feet long and 106 feet wide (beam) can pass through the canal. That typically means the older and smaller ships in a cruise lines' fleet are the only ones that can make the transit. Ships like the Allure of the Seas or the Solstice-class ships are not among them. The new locks would open up possibilities for the larger cruise ships to complete the transit.

Expansion Plans

There are four major parts to the expansion plans.  The purpose of the expansion is to enable post-Panamax vessel transit of the canal.

• construction of two new sets of locks - one on the Pacific and one on the Atlantic side of the Canal
• widening and deepening of existing navigational channels in Gatun Lake
• deepening of Culebra Cut
• new 6.1 km-long access channel to connect the Pacific locks and the Culebra Cut

Each lock will have three chambers and each chamber will have three water re-utilization basins.
For complete details about the plans, see PANAMA CANAL EXPANSION PROGRAM MARCH 2013 (PDF).

Overall, the Expansion Program is 72% complete and at this time, is expected to be open to commercial transits in the second half of 2015.  

The contractor for the new locks, Grupo Unidos por El Canal S.A. (GUPC), is currently threatening a work stoppage due to $1.6 Billion in cost overruns.  The ACP, the autonomous agency of the Government of Panama in charge of managing, operating and maintaining the Panama Canal, has proposed advancing $100 million to GUPC  to allow the contractor to tend to its pending obligations. The contractor must guarantee these funds through a letter of credit. In addition, ACP is willing to extend for a period of two months the moratorium for the repayment of $83 million in advances by GUPC. These would give an additional $83 million for GUPC.

Full story: Panama Canal Proposal to Jointly Contribute $283 Million to New Locks Project

Here is a video published by the ACP describing the Panama Canal Expansion project.

Carnival Splendor to Leave San Francisco and Return to Service

Carnival Splendor Repaired

Last November, Carnival Splendor experienced an engine fire that would put her out of service for several months and cost Carnival Corporation millions of dollars in repairs and lost revenue.   Fortunately, there were no serious injuries or loss of life in the fire.  Carnival Splendor's comeback journey follows.

After being towed back to San Diego, Carnival Splendor's fire investigation and repair work began.  A replacement engine would be needed, which caused additional down time for the ship. Since the ship was originally built in Italy, it was necessary to have the replacement engine manufactured there and shipped back to California, where it would be installed in a dry-dock facility in San Francisco.  It was necessary to cut a hole in the hull to remove the damaged engine and replace it with the new one.

This brings you up to date... The repair work is now completed and the ship is ready for sea trials and a return to service where it will resume Mexican Riviera cruises February 20th.   The ship will depart San Francisco and return to Long Beach, California as follows:

FEBRUARY 14: CARNIVAL SPLENDOR SEA TRIALS AND VOYAGE TO LONG BEACH

FEBRUARY 19: CARNIVAL SPLENDOR ARRIVES AT LONG BEACH CRUISE TERMINAL

FEBRUARY 19: TRAVEL AGENT FUNCTION

FEBRUARY 2O: CARNIVAL SPLENDOR RE-ENTERS SERVICE

John Heald, Carnival's Senior Cruise Director, will join the ship for the sea trials and host the special event February 19th.  Carnival Corporation officials asked John to do the honors since he was the calm voice that passengers and crew heard that fateful day in November when Alpha, Alpha, Alpha woke up passengers and crew early that morning.

Related Blog Posts:

Carnival Splendor Heads North for More Repairs
Carnival Splendor Cruise Cancellations Extended
Carnival Splendor Repair Status
Carnival Splendor Fire Investigation 
Assisting Carnival Splendor 
Carnival Splendor Without Power After Engine Fire 
Carnival Splendor Cruises Cancelled until January 16

Carnival Splendor Cruise Cancellations Extended

CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES CANCELS

ADDITIONAL VOYAGES 

OF CARNIVAL SPLENDOR 

AS REPAIRS CONTINUE

Ship Now Scheduled to Re-Enter Service February 20 

Carnival Cruise Lines has announced additional cancellations of Carnival Splendor.  The January 16, 23, 30 and February 6 and 13, 2011, voyages were canceled to allow for additional repair time following the engine room fire aboard the vessel in November. 

UPDATE FEBRUARY 2, 2011 (click following link for latest)

Carnival Splendor to Leave San Francisco and Return to Service

Update:   The investigation is ongoing, but the U.S. Coast Guard has released preliminary findings

USCG Generates Recommendations Following Splendor Fire

Carnival Splendor needs new generator, alternators, switchboard parts

Carnival's statement indicated that as the repairs have been progressing, additional problems were uncovered requiring additional repair time.  In addition, some parts were unavailable and had to be manufactured in Europe.

The ship is currently in San Diego, however, it will sail to San Francisco in mid-January where repairs will be completed at a dry dock facility.

"We sincerely apologize to our guests for having to cancel these additional cruises," said Gerry Cahill, Carnival's president and CEO.  "We made our best effort back in November to estimate the necessary repair time with a strong goal of not having to modify it at a later point in time.  Unfortunately, as the repairs have progressed and we have discovered additional issues, it is now clear that we need more time.  We know this is extremely disappointing for our guests and particularly disheartening for those who already had their vacations cancelled once and are now being affected again."

As has been the case with the earlier cancellations, guests booked on the cancelled voyages will receive a refund or future cruise credit equal to the amount paid, along with reimbursement of air transportation-related change fees. Those who re-book may also receive a 25 percent future cruise discount and/or onboard credit depending on the ship and sailing date of the new booking.

Additional details can be found in Carnival Splendor's Travel Advisory statement.

While this is disappointing, Carnival Cruise Line has once again tried to accommodate guests impacted by this accident.   We all look forward to the day when Carnival Splendor will once again be sailing the seven seas with passengers enjoying the repaired ship.

Related Blog Posts:


Carnival Splendor Repair Status
Carnival Splendor Fire Investigation 
Assisting Carnival Splendor 
Carnival Splendor Without Power After Engine Fire
Carnival Splendor Cruises Cancelled until January 16

The Pictures Tell The Story

Carnival Splendor Repair Status

Carnival Splendor Being Towed to San Diego
Photo courtesy John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival Splendor Repairs Underway
UPDATE:

Carnival Splendor to Leave San Francisco and Return to Service

UPDATE:  NOW EXPECTED TO RETURN TO SERVICE FEBRUARY 20, 2011

Carnival Splendor Cruise Cancellations Extended

UPDATE:  JANUARY 19, 2011 (click following link)

Carnival Splendor Heads North for More Repairs

After Carnival Splendor arrived back in San Diego and the passengers headed for home, the long process of determining what happened and returning the ship to service began.   A joint task force made up of Carnival technicians, NTSB, Panama Government representatives, USGC and others descended on the vessel and started the process.

After an initial assessment, it was decided that cruises needed to be cancelled until January 16.  This left passengers and their agents, including yours truly, scrambling to reschedule stranded passengers who had planned holiday sailings on the Splendor.

You might recall that during the incident, Captain Cupisti had to order the release of CO2 in the engine room to distinguish the cables.  The fire crews had also used water to cool down the engine room.

Thus, the engine room must be cleaned up from the CO2 and water before the actual damage can be repaired.   As you might expect, this is a huge job.  We will bring you updates as we learn more about the cleanup and repairs.

Related Blog Posts:

Carnival Splendor Fire Investigation 
Assisting Carnival Splendor 
Carnival Splendor Without Power After Engine Fire
Carnival Splendor Cruises Cancelled until January 16

The Pictures Tell The Story