Hot Port News from GAC

• Inbound vessel transits are prohibited
• All oceangoing vessels greater than 500GT must have departed the ports and anchorages
• Cargo operations not associated with storm preparation are prohibited
• Oil and hazmat cargo operations are prohibited

Port Condition YANKEE has been set for the ports of Tampa, St Petersburg and Manatee in Florida. It has also been set at Charleston in South Carolina, which will switch to Port Condition ZULU within 12 hours of high winds reaching the port.

Under Port Condition ZULU:

• All vessel movements and transits are prohibited
• Cargo operations are prohibited

Port Condition ZULU has been set from Savannah and Brunswick in Georgia, Jacksonville and Tarpon Springs in Florida, Port Mobile in Alabama.

For more about operations in the USA contact GAC USA at usa@gac.com

Present indications are that the anchorage will be closed until about Monday, 5 September.

Weather forecast can found at http://www.bom.gov.au/nsw/forecasts/illawarracoast.shtml andhttp://www.bom.gov.au/nsw/warnings/marinewind.shtml

For information about operations in Australia contact GAC Australia at shipping.australia@gac.com

Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 70 mph (110 km/h) with higher gusts. Additional weakening is forecast while Hermine moves farther inland.

Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 175 miles (280 km) from the center. Valdosta, Georgia recently reported a wind gust of 53 mph (85 km/h).

WIND:
Tropical storm conditions are expected to begin within the warning area along the Atlantic coast later today, and spread northward through the weekend.  Wind in the tropical storm warning area along the Gulf coast of Florida should gradually diminish today.

STORM SURGE:
The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will continue to cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. There is a danger of life-threatening inundation within the next 12-24 hours along the Gulf coast of Florida from Indian Pass to Longboat Key…
…The water could reach the following heights above ground if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide:
Destin to Indian Pass: 1-3 feet
Indian Pass to Ochlockonee River: 4-7 feet
Ochlockonee River to Yankeetown: 6-9 feet
Yankeetown to Aripeka: 4-7 feet
Aripeka to Longboat Key, including Tampa Bay: 2-4 feet
Longboat Key to Bonita Beach: 1-3 feet
Florida-Georgia line to Tidewater of Virginia: 1-3 feet

RAINFALL:
Hermine is expected to produce storm total rainfall accumulations of 5-10 inches over the southeastern United States from northwest Florida through southern and eastern Georgia into South Carolina and eastern North Carolina, with possible isolated maximum amounts of 15 inches. These rains may cause life-threatening floods and flash floods. Heavy rain could reach the coastal Mid-Atlantic states from Virginia to New Jersey beginning early Saturday…

(For information about operations in the USA, contact GAC USA at usa@gac.com)

Source: Extracts from National Hurricane Center, Fl, Tropical Storm Hermine Advisory No.20 issued at 500am EDT on2 September 2016