Tropical Storm Gordon tracked in a west/northwest path across the eastern Gulf of Mexico Tuesday morning and is expected to reach hurricane strength winds of at least 75 miles per hour, before making landfall Tuesday night somewhere between southeast Louisiana and the Alabama/Florida state line official said.
The US Coast Guard captain of the port has declared Port Condition Zulu at the Port of Mobile, closing the port to all vessel traffic. All non-essential personnel were to be released at noon. The port will reopen to operations as soon as the storm passes and damage assessments are complete, CEO and Port Director Jimmy Lyons said in a statement.
Gulfport and Pascagoula have also been declared Port Condition Zulu, suspending all facility and vessel operations due to Gordon. Operations will resume once the Coast Guard and the Army Corp of Engineers have surveyed aids to navigation and ship channels for any damage.
Ports are not closed along the Mississippi River, but federal and bar pilot operations have been suspended at Southwest Pass.
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