Hurricane Dorian, in line with the forecasts, reached Category 4 designation and is now considered as the strongest storm of the Atlantic hurricane season so far. The Hurricane made landfall near Elbow Cay and then at Marsh Harbour, a yachting destination in the Abaco chain of islands.
Many are the ports that are following safety procedures because of the Hurricane. As the hurricane approached, Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for all 67 Florida counties. The state currently has 819,000 gallons of water and 1.8 million meals ready for distribution, as he informed.
In light of the dangers following Hurricane Dorian, the American Club issued an alert, informing that vessels trading in regions affected by these extreme weather events will also face additional physical risks, such as:
- changes in currents and tides, particularly in rivers, occurring more rapidly and unpredictably than normal;
- increased loads on mooring lines;
- increased risk of contact with craft, debris and other objects which may have broken loose from moorings, or otherwise become present, in rivers and ports;
- increased risk of damage caused by storm surges;
- increased silting of berths creating reduced under-keel clearance.
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Therefore, masters are advised to follow thew recommendations below for their own safety:
- increasing the number of mooring lines deployed up river. If the leads from the vessel are suitable, additional breast lines should be used to keep the vessel against the berth;
- ensuring brake settings are correct, and ensuring that crew members monitor ropes during ebb tides, and when other vessels pass downstream;
- maintaining engines in a ready state to be used immediately if required;
- ensuring that cargo cranes are centerlined, two blocked and secured;
- ensuring that cargo ramps are stowed away from potential storm surges, and closely monitored;
- monitoring by vessel personnel of pier sides to obviate the possibility of the vessel causing damage to piers, and to check whether pier bollards are capable of handling the higher stresses on mooring lines;
- where possible, the taking of photographic evidence of the condition of a berth before and after storm periods;
- seeking advice from river and mooring pilots about any particular risk factors relevant to the characteristics of the berth to be used by the vessel, and the characteristics of local river transit;
corresponding with local agents to provide details of last soundings at berths to give owners/managers/masters advance information on local conditions.
In the meantime, the USCG published safety tips on marine safety when the US was affected by Hurricane Michael.