Hurricane Beryl forces Texas ports to close

Hurricane Beryl on the Texas coast near Houston has forced some of the largest ports in Texas to close operations leading to a surge in vessel traffic.

According to Reuters, Hurricane Beryl left a trail of destruction in the Caribbean this week while claiming at least 11 lives.

The hurricane is now a Category 1 hurricane and it is expected to strengthen into a Category 2 by the time it makes landfall on Monday, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC).

The 52-mile Houston Ship Channel, which permitted access to 8 public facilities and around 200 private terminals, operated under transit restrictions on 7 July before halting all traffic.

This subsequently forced the closures of the Ports of Corpus Christi, Houston, Galveston, Freeport and Texas City, after the condition ‘Zulu’ was set by Coast Guard captains over the weekend.

The expected gale-force winds within the next 12 hours mean that all vessel movements and cargo operations are restricted.

Reports from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicated that Beryl’s maximum sustained winds increased to close to 75 miles per hour (MPH), reported the NHC.

Last August, a Category 4 hurricane swarming through Mexico’s Baja California peninsula saw ports across Southern California experience record-breaking rainfall.