On Thursday, the North Carolina Port Authority, which includes the Ports of Morehead City and Wilmington, reported that it closed the gates to commercial traffic at 5:00 p.m. Thursday in anticipation of Hurricane Irene, which hit the Bahamas on Wednesday and Thursday and is now rapidly approaching the East Coast.
The ports were originally scheduled to be closed at noon on Friday, August 26, but the closure was hastened as the severity of storm accelerated.
Primary imports at North Carolina ports include scrap metal, metal products, machinery parts and ores.