Hurricane Debby halts traffic at southeast US ports

Major ports in the southeast US are closed to vessel traffic as Hurricane Debby made landfall today as a category 1 storm in northern Florida.

Seaport Manatee and the port of Tampa Bay in Florida closed waterways on 3 August, with Seaport Manatee issuing port condition Zulu — where gale force winds are anticipated within 12 hours and port operations are suspended. Port Tampa Bay closed its shipping lanes on 3 August.

Combined DAP and MAP exports from the port of Tampa reached 245,000 metric tonnes (t) between January and May — comprising nearly 91pc of year-to-date offshore export volumes — according to US Census Bureau data. Nearly two-thirds of US ammonium phosphate production capacity is consolidated in central Florida with Mosaic, according to The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) data.

The Port of Savannah, in Georgia, will close today at 3:00pm ET and will remain closed on Tuesday before reopening on Wednesday, according to the Georgia Ports Authority. No vessel activity will be allowed during the closure.

By Meghan Yoyotte