Tropical Storm Hermine Forces Restrictions at Florida Gulf Coast Ports

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — The U.S. Coast Guard St. Petersburg has set restrictions at ports throughout the Tampa Bay area. Conditions and restrictions vary based on the port.

Port Condition Yankee has been set for Tarpon Springs north. Port Condition X-Ray is now in place for ports of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Manatee. The conditions were set by Capt. Holly Najarian, Sector St. Petersburg Captain of Port, on Wednesday night.

Port conditions are a set of escalating measures meant to keep vessels and ports safe. The restrictions are as follows:

• Port Condition Yankee - A safety zone has been established around the area. All inbound vessel movement is prohibited, all oceangoing commercial vessels greater than 500 gross tons must have departed the ports and anchorages, and cargo operations not associated with storm preparations are prohibited, an email from the Coast Guard said.
• Port Condition X-Ray - Mariners are reminded that there are no safe havens in port facilities. Ports are the safest when inventory of vessels is at a minimum. "All ocean-going commercial vessels and ocean-going barges greater than 500 gross tons should make plans for departing the port," the email said.

Vessels that wish to remain in port must contact Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg immediately at Stefan.a.Lewis@uscg.mil to obtain permission. Vessel operators are required to submit a written safe mooring plan, the Coast Guard said. Vessels bound for South Florida that are unable to depart at least 24 hours prior to threatening winds making landfall are advised to seek out alternate destinations.

Pleasure craft operators are also advised to seek safe harbor. The Coast Guard warns that drawbridges may not operate once sustained winds reach 25 mph or if an evacuation is order. Mariners can check out the latest port updates for Tampa one the Coast Guard's Homeport site.

Should Port Condition Yankee be set, vessel movement will be restricted and all movements will have to be approved by the port captain. Yankee conditions are declared when sustained gale force winds are expected within 24 hours.

Tropical Storm Hermine's formation in the Gulf of Mexico was announced by the National Hurricane Center in a 2 p.m. Wednesday update. The storm was located about 350 miles west-southwest of Tampa as of 5 p.m. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 45 mph and was moving north-northeast at 7 mph.

On its present course, Hermine is expected to make landfall somewhere along Florida's Gulf Coast or Panhandle Thursday afternoon before crossing the state and heading into the southern portion of Georgia and onto South Carolina. The storm could also pose a threat for North Carolina and Virginia over the Labor Day weekend. Forecasters warned in the 5 p.m. update the storm "could be near hurricane strength by the time landfall occurs."

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