The USCG hosted a Port Coordination Team conference today.  Here is a summary of that meeting.
NOAA/NWS Report  (See 1400 Hrs Update)
Possible Impacts:
  • Tropical Storm Barry.
    • No changes since the briefing package a few hours ago. 
       
      1) Barry has strengthened and now has sustained winds of 65mph and is now forecast to become a hurricane prior to landfall
       
      2)  Barry heading is wet-northwest toward the Louisiana coast at 5mph.
       
      2) Tropical Storm Warning has been extended inland to include Pointe Coupee, East and West Feliciana, and St Helena parishes and Wilkinson county.
       
      3) Storm surge watch was upgraded to a warning inside the lakes and east to Biloxi.
       
      4) Heavy rainfall and flash flood potential remains the primary concern!
       
      5) Already seeing tropical storm force winds along the coast.
       
      5) Gusty tropical storm winds, some storm surge and a few tornadoes will become an increasing concern later today and tonight and particularly Saturday and Saturday night. 
       
      6) Landfall still expected somewhere along the central Louisiana coast as a minimal hurricane late Saturday morning or early afternoon.
    • Still looking at near 19’ at New Orleans at 0600 Saturday.
USACE:
  • Harvey lock closed.
  • Algiers lock operational.
  • IHNC lock closed
  • Bonne Carre Spillway is open.  No plan to open more gates at this time.
 
 
USCBP
  • New – Blanket Delay in Departure/Marine Division Hours/Emergency Contact.  (Click here)
 
Flood Protection Sectors
  • Surge barrier protection gates closed.
  • Seabrook closed.
  • Harvey and West Closure sector gates being closed by 1500.
USCG:  
  • Port Condition Yankee set.
    • Port Conditions to Zulu at 1700, Local, today.
    • Note:  Port Condition Zulu will effectively shut down all vessel movements on the LMR from Baton Rouge to SWP. 
 
Pilots:
The following was reported by the various Pilot Presidents:
  • BAR – 
    • Operations have shutdown.  Equipment (boats) has been evacuated.
    • Will move equipment and people back down after the storm as soon as they can.
  • CRPPA –  
    • Ships are safely moored (although public may have different perspective).  
  • NOBRA – (No change – Monitoring)
    • In order to minimize the number of ships at anchorages which in-turn reduces the danger to the levees, the following applies:
      • NOBRA will swap a ship from an anchorage to a dock, with a ship from that dock to that anchorage (one-for-one) in NOBRA area of responsibility AOR only.
      • NOBRA will not move vessels up from the lower river to anchorages in their AOR.
      • NOBRA will not shift a vessel from a dock to an anchorage if there’s no vessel in that anchorage that’s moving to that dock.
  • Federal – 
    • Nothing new to report – Monitoring conditions.
Links to Contingency Plan Sections: