Hurricane Frances Operations Notice
2004-09-02
Update – 9/6 1330 hrs
Storm Status
Frances is now a tropical storm with 65MPH winds about 90 miles south of Tallahassee, FL. Hurricane warnings have been issued for the Gulf Coast from the Suwanee River to Indian Pass. Landfall in the panhandle is estimated sometime this afternoon.
Terminals:
Port Everglades closed Monday, 9/6 for the holiday. Reopening tomorrow Tuesday, 9/7 at 0630 with normal working hours.
Jacksonville The port of Jacksonville remains closed. It is estimated to reopen tomorrow Tuesday, 9/7 at 1000am. Crowleys gate reopened today, 9/6 at noon and will close at 2000. Normal gate operations will resume tomorrow, 9/7.
Offices
All Crowley offices resume normal working hours on Tuesday, September 9/7.
Puerto Rico/Caribbean Vessels:
*La Reina arrived in San Juan with operations being completed today, 9/6.
All other arrivals into the Port of Jacksonville scheduled for this week will be updated Tuesday, 9/7 once the Port of Jacksonville is reopened.
We will update you shortly on any adjustments to the schedule.
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Update – 9/4 1330 hrs
Storm Status:
The center of Hurricane Frances is close to Freeport in the Grand Bahama Island and is about 80 miles east of West Palm Beach, Florida moving between west-northwest and northwest about 5MPH. Frances is a strong category two hurricane with maximum sustained winds around 105MPH with higher gusts. The storm is expected to make landfall late on Saturday or early Sunday.
Hurricane Warnings remain in effect for the east coast of Florida from Florida City northward to Flagler Beach as well as in the northwestern Bahamas. A Hurricane Watch and Tropical Storm Warning remain in effect from north of Flagler Beach to Fernandina Beach, Florida. A Tropical Storm Warning remains in effect on the southern Florida peninsula and for the middle and upper keys. A Tropical Storm Watch remains in effect for the Florida west coast from north of Englewood to the Suwannee River.
Terminals:
Port Everglades remains closed
Jacksonville The port of Jacksonville closed today, Saturday 9/4 at noon. Crowleys gate closed today, Saturday 9/4 at noon.
Puerto Rico/Caribbean Vessels:
Puerto Rico/Caribbean Vessels:
*El Rey is scheduled to depart St. Thomas today, Saturday 9/4 heading back to Pennsauken, NJ.
*Miami V116S departure date still to be determined
*La Reina is estimated to arrive in San Juan on the evening of Monday, 9/6
All other arrivals into the Port of Jacksonville scheduled for next week will depend on the storms quick departure and aftermath.
Warehouse:
The Speed Cargo/Apparel Transportation/Crowley Logistics Warehouse remains closed.
We will continue to monitor the storms progress, and adjust the schedule accordingly.
Throughout the weekend please rely on www.crowley.com for additional schedule changes and operations updates should there be any.
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Update – 9/3 1530hrs
Terminals:
Port Everglades – closed
Jacksonville – all ship to shore cargo ops will stop at 1800 today (9/3). Depending on the future track/strength projection, we can anticipate that at 1800 tomorrow (9/4) the port will close. Crowley’s gate will close Saturday at 1200 hrs and we do not expect to open until sometime Monday.
Offices:
All Crowley offices resume normal working hours on Tuesday, September 9/7.
South Florida – closed
All other Crowley offices are operating as scheduled.
Latin America Vessels:
*Crowley Americas V207 – Sailed on Thursday 9/2
*Caribe Merchant V394 – TBA as early as Sunday
*Mar Caribe V208 – TBA as early as Sunday
*Mexico Express V153- TBA as early as Sunday
*Crowley Sun V209 – Sailing on Tuesday 9/5
Puerto Rico/Caribbean Vessels:
*Jacksonville V111N departed San Juan Thursday 9/2 and is scheduled to arrive in Jacksonville Tuesday 9/7.
*Fortaleza V112S is working in San Juan Friday, 9/3.
*El Rey 35S departed Pennsauken Friday 8/27 and is scheduled to arrive San Juan Friday 9/3 and St. Thomas Saturday 9/4
*Ponce 114S sailed from Jacksonville Tuesday 8/31 at 2300 hrs and is scheduled to arrive in San Juan on Monday 9/7.
*El Conquistador V110N/117S has sailed San Juan and will arrive in Jacksonville Monday 9/6.
*San Juan V109N/115S has departed Jacksonville and will arrive in San Juan on Tuesday 9/7.
*Miami V108N/116S is working in Jacksonville Friday 9/2 with a departure date to be determined.
*La Reina is estimated in San Juan on the evening of 9/7 or during the morning hours of 9/8.
*In the North Atlantic the La Princesa will arrive in Pennsauken Friday afternoon and sail as scheduled.
*Wesetor V70S arrived in Jacksonville Tuesday 8/31 at 1400hrs and departed at 1900hrs. Because of the current hurricane location, the vessel will hold in Port Everglades until the storm passes and the waters are navigable.
* Sea Cloud V35S sailed Port Everglades 9/2 at 2136 hrs and will arrive in St. Thomas 9/5 at 2000 hrs.
We will continue to monitor the storms progress, and adjust the schedule accordingly.
Warehouses:
The Crowley logistics/Speed Cargo/Apparel Transportation warehouse in Miami is closed and not accepting freight until further notice.
Railroads/Trucking Operations:
The FEC is closed and neither CSX nor Norfolk Southern (NS) are accepting cargo bound for Florida until further notice. NS train service to Jacksonville and Miami has been suspended until further notice and their Jacksonville terminal will close its gates effective 1700hrs on 9/3 and will re-open Jacksonville as soon as conditions allow. CSX customer service will close at 1200 on 9/3. CSX’s Orlando and Tampa terminals are closed now. CSX Intermodal’s corporate offices in Jacksonville are closed today and will not re-open until Tuesday morning. Trucking operations and the Quality Service Center, including Customer Service, are staffed this morning, but will close early today. They do not expect to re-open their offices on Saturday or Sunday and will make a decision regarding Monday staffing levels once the storm has passed. If conditions permit, they will be open from 0800 to 1200 on Monday in Customer Service and all day in Trucking Operations and will resume full staffing and service levels on Tuesday.
Throughout the weekend please rely on www.crowley.com for additional schedule changes and operations updates should there be any.
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Update 9/3 – 1135hrs
Satellite images and reports from reconnaissance aircraft indicate that Frances has continued to weaken overnight and is now a Category 2 hurricane. However, it is not clear whether the storm will continue to weaken or whether it will re-strengthen prior to reaching land. The storm has continued to move in a west-northwest to northwesterly direction overnight and therefore landfall is expected to be near the Fort Pierce area. A Hurricane Warning is in effect for the East Coast of Florida from Florida City northward to Flagler Beach and for the central and northwestern Bahamas. A Tropical Storm Warning in in effect for the middle and upper Florida Keys including Florida Bay. A Hurricane Watch has been issued from north of Flagler Beach northward to Fernandina Beach. The Hurricane Watch for the middle and upper keys has been discontinued.
In response to the pending arrival of the hurricane in the south Florida area, all Crowley offices are closed until further notice and are not accepting freight. This includes sales offices, the Port Everglades terminal and the Speed Cargo/Apparel Transportation/logistics warehouse.
Current vessel schedules are as follows.
Latin America Vessels:
*Crowley Americas V207 – Sailed on Thursday 9/2
*Caribe Merchant V394 – TBA as early as Sunday
*Mar Caribe V208 – TBA as early as Sunday
*Mexico Express V153- TBA as early as Sunday
*Crowley Sun V209 – Sailing on Tuesday 9/5
Puerto Rico/Caribbean Vessels:
*Jacksonville V111N departed San Juan Thursday 9/2 and is scheduled to arrive in Jacksonville Tuesday 9/7.
*Fortaleza V112S is working in San Juan Friday, 9/3.
*El Rey 35S departed Pennsauken Friday 8/27 and is scheduled to arrive San Juan Friday 9/3 and St. Thomas Saturday 9/4
*Ponce 114S sailed from Jacksonville Tuesday 8/31 at 2300 hrs and is scheduled to arrive in San Juan on Monday 9/7.
*El Conquistador V110N/117S has sailed San Juan and will arrive in Jacksonville Sunday 9/5.
*San Juan V109N/115S has departed Jacksonville and will arrive in San Juan on Tuesday 9/7.
*Miami V108N/116S is working in Jacksonville Friday 9/2 with a departure date to be determined.
*La Reina is estimated in San Juan on the morning of 9/7 or during the morning hours of 9/8.
*In the North Atlantic the La Princesa will arrive in Pennsauken Friday afternoon and sail as scheduled.
*Wesetor V70S arrived in Jacksonville Tuesday 8/31 at 1400hrs and departed at 1900hrs. Because of the current hurricane location, the vessel will hold in Port Everglades until the storm passes and the waters are navigable.
* Sea Cloud V35S sailed Port Everglades 9/2 at 2136 hrs and will arrive in St. Thomas 9/5 at 1600 hrs.
We will continue to monitor the storms progress, and adjust the schedule accordingly.
Warehouses:
The Crowley logistics/Speed Cargo/Apparel Transportation warehouse in Miami is closed and not accepting freight until further notice.
Railroads/Trucking Operations:
The FEC is closed and neither CSX nor Norfolk Southern (NS) are accepting cargo bound for Florida until further notice. NS train service to Jacksonville and Miami has been suspended until further notice. CSX customer service will close at 1200 on 9/3. CSX’s Orlando and Tampa terminals are closed now. CSX Intermodal’s corporate offices in Jacksonville are closed today and will not re-open until Tuesday morning. Trucking operations and the Quality Service Center, including Customer Service, are staffed this morning, but will close early today. They do not expect to re-open their offices on Saturday or Sunday and will make a decision regarding Monday staffing levels once the storm has passed. If conditions permit, they will be open from 0800 to 1200 on Monday in Customer Service and all day in Trucking Operations and will resume full staffing and service levels on Tuesday.
JAX ramps will be closing today as follows:
FEC: 1200
NS : 1700
CSX : 2100
All other Crowley offices and ports are operating as scheduled.
Throughout the weekend please rely on www.crowley.com for additional schedule changes and operations updates should there be any. Additionally, to track the storm you may visit the National Hurricane Center at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
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Update 9/2 – 1500hrs
Hurricane Frances continues on its west northwest track at 11 knots as a strong category 4 storm with 140 mph winds, and is expected to pass over the Bahamas late tonight (9/2) and Friday morning and make landfall near Ft. Pierce, Florida Friday evening if it continues on its present forecast track. Although storm is tracking more towards south Florida, the entire state is being treated as in state of emergency. The Port Everglades and Miami liner services offices will be closed on Friday. Monday, which was scheduled, as a full holiday prior to hurricane warnings will now be used for partial terminal and stevedoring operations if necessary. Employees required will be notified over the weekend.
The U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port is moving to condition one at 2200 (10 pm) tonight (9/2) which means that all vessels must terminate operations and sail by that hour and all personnel must leave the port. Those employees with “E” badges can enter the port up until or shortly before 1200 tomorrow (9/3) for emergency purposes, but the port will be locked down at 1200. The only entrance which will be open to the port after 2100 (9 pm) tonight through 1200 (12 noon) tomorrow will be Spangler. At 1200 tomorrow, Friday, containers will be placed across the entrance at Spangler to serve as a gate to lock down the port. The port will not reopen until the all clear is given first by the USCG, and then the port itself.
Additionally in Miami, Lennar will shut down Crowley’s building at 1100 (11 am) tomorrow. When they do so, Crowley’s telephone switch will be disabled and no (305) 470-4000 or (954) 760-7900 numbers will work. From that point until power is restored which according to Lennar is when an all clear is given, we will have to rely on home and cell phone communication with employees in the south Florida area.
Vessel Operations Update:
* Sea Cloud will complete cargo ops in PEV this afternoon and run south until the storm passes tomorrow.
*Miami is working cargo in Jacksonville at this time but is not expected to depart tonight due to extremely large seas/swells offshore.
Vessels that will be postponed, but worked in order at Port Everglades are:
*Caribe Merchant SZV 4394 S to be worked Saturday night or Sunday morning,
*Mar Caribe NZV 4208 S will be worked following the Caribe Merchant
*Timing of the operation of the Port Everglades Express CRX 4126 S is not certain, but every effort will be made to work it sometime Sunday with rollovers from the Caribe Merchant plus any freight received through close of business today.
The FEC will be closed from noon tomorrow until Monday early morning.
Though the storm is still well offshore, we are already experiencing problems with intermodal pick-ups. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find drivers willing to come to Florida. We have reports of traffic already building on interstates out of Florida.
Employees will be updated via a 1 800 Crowley number by communication from local operations staff. Customer service in Jacksonville will use that update to pass along information to customers.
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In response to the pending arrival of Hurricane Frances, the South Florida offices will begin closing this afternoon, based on business and preparation needs. All South Florida offices will be closed tomorrow.
Update – Thursday, September 2 – 1130hrs
Hurricane Frances is estimated to be about 435 miles east-southeast of Miami, Fla. Its track has been adjusted about 40-50 miles further south with an impact site on the U.S. in the Fort Lauderdale area as early as sunset tomorrow 9/3. Once Frances moves onshore, it is projected that the storm will continue west-northwest to near Ft. Myers then into the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday morning. Frances remains a solid category 4 hurricane.
In anticipation of an impending landfall, we wish to inform you that our Port Everglades operation has established a cut off time for vessels listed below of 12:00 noon on Thursday 9/2. We do not encourage any truck drivers to arrive in South Florida after the cutoff.
Latin America Vessels:
*CROWLEY AMERICAS V207 – Sailing on Thursday 9/2
*CARIBE MERCHANT V394 – TBA as early as Sunday
*MAR CARIBE V208 – TBA as early as Sunday
*MEXICO EXPRESS V153- TBA as early as Sunday
*CROWLEY SUN V209 – Sailing on Tuesday 9/5
At this time we do not anticipate any impact by Hurricane Frances to our Gulfport to Central America services.
Additionally, the port of Jacksonville is currently under condition X-Ray which means that sustained gale force winds are expected within 48 hours.
Puerto Rico/Caribbean Vessels:
*Jacksonville V111S is working in San Juan Thursday 9/2 and will sail as scheduled.
*Fortaleza V112S departed Jacksonville Friday 8/27 and is scheduled to arrive in San Juan Friday, 9/3 at 1200hrs.
*El Rey 35S departed Pennsauken Friday 8/27 and is scheduled to arrive San Juan Friday 9/3 and St. Thomas Saturday 9/4
*Ponce 114S sailed from Jacksonville Tuesday 8/31 at 2300 hrs and is scheduled to arrive in San Juan on Monday 9/6.
*San Juan V109N/115S has departed Jacksonville.
*Miami V108N/116S is working in Jacksonville Thursday 9/2 with a departure date to be determined.
*El Conquistador V110N/117S has sailed San Juan and will arrive in Jacksonville as soon as conditions permit. Once an estimated arrival time is given it will be posted.
*La Reina V113S is estimated in San Juan on the evening of 9/7 or during the morning hours of 9/8.
*In the North Atlantic the La Princesa V34N/36S will arrive in Pennsauken Friday afternoon and sail as scheduled.
*Wesetor V70S arrived in Jacksonville Tuesday 8/31 at 1400hrs and departed at 1900hrs. Because of the current hurricane location, the vessel will hold in Port Everglades until the storm passes and the waters are navigable.
*Sea Cloud V35S Working in Port Everglades with a 1200hrs cargo cutoff and will sail as scheduled.
We will continue to monitor the storms progress, and adjust the schedule accordingly.
Warehouses:
The Crowley logistics/Speed Cargo/Apparel Transportation warehouse in Miami is not loading any additional containers but will continue to accept freight until further notice.
Railroads/Trucking Operations:
The FEC will close at 1600hrs on Thursday 9/2. CSX is no longer accepting cargo bound for Florida until the storm passes.
All other Crowley offices and ports are operating as scheduled.
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Update – Thursday, September 2 – 0830hrs
In anticipation of Hurricane Frances we wish to inform you that our Port Everglades operation has established a cut off time for vessels listed below of 12:00 noon on Thursday 9/2. We do not encourage any truck drivers to arrive in South Florida after the cutoff.
Vessels:
*CROWLEY AMERICAS V207 – Sailing on Thursday 9/2
*CARIBE MERCHANT V394 – TBA as early as Sunday
*MAR CARIBE V208 – TBA as early as Sunday
*MEXICO EXPRESS V153- TBA as early as Sunday
*CROWLEY SUN V209 – Sailing on Tuesday 9/5
These sailings are also due to change according to the weather conditions and/or Coast Guard mandates. We will keep you informed on any new developments. At this time we do not anticipate any impact by Hurricane Frances to our Gulfport to Central America services.
We regret any inconvenience this may cause.
Update – Wednesday, September 1 – 1043hrs
Hurricane Frances passed the north coast of Puerto Rico yesterday afternoon and is presently north of the Island of Hispanola and is a strong Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 140 mph. It continues on its west-northwest track towards the Bahamas, and is now projected to hit the central Florida coastline this weekend. The port of Nassau in the Bahamas will be closed as of 1200 hrs today to make storm preparations as will Crowley’s administrative and sales offices in the area. All other locations, terminal hours remain the same.
As a result of these reports and advisories, Crowley’s current Puerto Rico/Caribbean vessel schedule is as follows:
*Jacksonville V111S departed Jacksonville Thursday 8/26 and is scheduled to arrive in San Juan Thursday 9/2 at 0600.
*Fortaleza V112S departed Jacksonville Friday 8/27 and is scheduled to arrive in San Juan Friday, 9/3 at 1200hrs..
*El Rey 35S departed Pennsauken Friday 8/27 and is scheduled to arrive San Juan Thursday 9/2 at 1200hrs.
*Ponce 114S sailed from Jacksonville Tuesday 8/31 at 2300 hrs and is scheduled to arrive in San Juan on Monday 9/6.
* San Juan V109N/115S is currently working at the port of Jacksonville and will sail at 2400.
*Miami V108N/116S will arrive in Jacksonville on T h ursday 8/2 and following the successful passing of the hurricane from Jacksonville.
*La Reina is estimated in San Juan on the evening of 9/7 or during the morning hours of 9/8.
*In the North Atlantic the La Princesa will arrive in Pennsauken Friday afternoon.
*Wesetor V70S arrived in Jacksonville Tuesday 8/31 at 1400hrs and departed at 1900hrs. Because of the current hurricane location, the vessel will hold in Port Everglades until the storm passes and the waters are navigable.
* Sea Cloud V35S is scheduled to depart Jacksonville Wednesday, 9/1 at 1030 hrs and will arrive in Port Everglades on Thursday 9/2 0800hrs. Once in Port Everglades its departure date will determined based on the current estimated track of the storm.
We will continue to monitor the storms progress, and adjust the schedule accordingly.
Update – Tuesday, August 31 – 1300hrs
Current projections estimate that Hurricane Frances will pass approximately 140 NM north of the island of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands between 0200 and 1400hrs on Tuesday, August 31. It will then pass approximately 150 NM north of San Juan, Puerto Rico between 1400 and 2000hrs on Tuesday, August 31. A Hurricane Warning has been issued for the southeastern Bahamas and for the Turks and Caicos Islands. A Hurricane Watch has been issued for the Central Bahamas. A Tropical Storm Warning remains in effect for the Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and the British Virgin Islands. A Tropical Storm Warning has been issued for the North Coast of the Dominican Republic, from Punta Gorda westward to Manzanillo Bay.
As a result of these reports and advisories, Crowley’s current Puerto Rico/Caribbean vessel schedule is as follows:
*Jacksonville V111S departed Jacksonville Thursday 8/26 and is scheduled to arrive in San Juan Thursday 9/2
*Fortaleza V112S departed Jacksonville Friday 8/27 and is scheduled to arrive in San Juan Friday 9/3
*El Rey 35S departed Pennsauken Friday 8/27 and is scheduled to arrive San Juan Friday 9/3
*Ponce 107N arrived Jacksonville Monday 8/30 and is scheduled to sail Tuesday 8/31 2000 hrs.
*Wesetor V69N/V70S will arrive in Jacksonville Tuesday 8/31 at 1400hrs and depart at 1800hrs for Nassau.
We will continue to monitor the storms progress, and adjust the schedule accordingly.
Monday, August 30, 2004 1500hrs
As islands within the Caribbean and those states on the southeast coast of the U.S., begin to observe the approach of Hurricane Frances, Crowleys liner services group also monitors the storm and its possible effects to cargo and vessel operations schedules. Currently, the Captain of the Port of San Juan is notifying all waterfront facilities and the maritime community that a hurricane watch has been set for the U. S. Virgin Islands, Culebra and Vieques with the possibility of a hurricane watch being posted for Puerto Rico later today.
Current projections estimate that Hurricane Frances will pass approximately 140 NM north of the island of St. Thomas, U. S. Virgin Islands between 2:00 A.M. and 2:00 P.M. on Tuesday, August 31, and approximately 150 NM north of San Juan, Puerto Rico between 2:00 P.M. and 8:00 P.M. on Tuesday, August 31.
As a result of these reports, Crowleys current Puerto Rico/Caribbean vessel schedule is as follows:
*El Conquistador V110N will depart San Juan Monday 8/30 1600 hrs
*Jacksonville V111S departed Jacksonville Thursday 8/26 and is scheduled to arrive in San Juan Thursday 9/2
*Fortaleza V112S departed Jacksonville Friday 8/27 and is scheduled to arrive in San Juan Friday 9/3
*El Rey 35S departed Pennsauken Friday 8/27 and is scheduled to arrive San Juan Friday 9/3
*Ponce 107N arrived Jacksonville Monday 8/30 and is scheduled to sail Tuesday 8/31 2000 hrs.
We will continue to monitor the storms progress, and adjust the schedule accordingly.