HOUSTON (Reuters) -The Freeport Port in south Texas reopened on Tuesday after being briefly closed to incoming ship traffic due to offshore conditions ahead of Tropical Storm Rafael, according to a notice from a shipping agent.
Rafael is expected to become a hurricane in the next few hours as it passes near the Cayman Islands and strengthen before making landfall in Cuba.
Tropical storm conditions are expected in the lower and central Florida Keys starting Wednesday and Rafael is expected to move into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico by Wednesday evening.
Freeport Harbor reopened at around 15:00 CT (16:00 ET).
'Whiskey' port conditions – which indicate strong winds are expected to arrive at the port within 72 hours – continue to apply at several ports in Florida including Tampa and St Petersburg, meaning ships must pinpoint the storm's advance location and make preparations to deal with it. dock or depart within 12 hours.
Major energy companies said Tuesday they were evacuating some oil production workers and securing offshore platforms as they prepared for tropical storm Rafael's approach toward the Gulf of Mexico.