Port of New Orleans officially reopens

Port of New Orleans officially reopens

It is reported that the Port of New Orleans has been officially reopened and will begin to accept traffic today (September 13). Port of New Orleans president Gary LaGrange said that the port is expecting its first cargo ship since the Hurricane Katrina closed the port. The port has power to it and more and more agents are returning to work though communication remains the primary problem due to patchy phone service and limited access to e-mail. The US Coast Guard has reportedly lifted the 39-foot draft, 12-hour daylight restriction affecting traffic at the Southwest Pass. The draft from the Southwest Pass to Baton Rouge is now 45 feet. The maximum draft prior to Hurricane Katrina was 47 feet. Pilots, however, are adhering to the 45-foot draft as safety precaution due to missing navigation aids. Those missing aids will also limit river traffic to daylight hours from the Southwest Pass to mile 104. Thereafter to Baton Rouge, the daylight restriction has been lifted. The port reopening is a remarkable turnaround after some original estimates put the port out of business for six months.