Texas port closed to vessel traffic due to rough seas

03 February 2010 23:21  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS news)--Port Freeport on the Texas Gulf coast has been closed to night vessel traffic due to rough sea conditions, shipping sources said on Wednesday.

Port officials did not return calls, but the Freeport-based Brazos Pilots Association issued a statement saying the port would be closed for all night traffic.

The statement said the pilots would review conditions again at 19:00 hours local time (1:00 GMT) to determine if the weather was favourable to begin vessel movements.

A dispatcher for the Houston Pilots group said seas in the Gulf of Mexico near Freeport – about 60 miles southeast of Houston - currently showed waves of 10-12 feet, with winds at 25 miles/hour (mph) and gusts of 30 mph.

"It's pretty rough right now and supposed to get worse," the dispatcher said.

State law calls for large vessels coming into Texas ports to be guided by a state-licensed ship pilot.

Two large chemical plants are located in Freeport, operated by Dow Chemical and BASF.

For more on Dow Chemical and BASF's Freeport, Texas, plants visit ICIS plants and projects
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By: Lane Kelley
+1 713 525 2653

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