After Hurricane Milton, Florida's Ports Begin Recovery Process

Florida's ports are working to return to normal operations following Hurricane Milton, and the need is urgent, especially for energy supplies. An estimated two thirds of all gas stations in the Tampa area have run dry, and one quarter to one half of all gas stations statewide. Since 40 percent of the state's fuel supply arrives by tanker at Port of Tampa Bay, restarting liquid bulk terminals will be essential. 

That process got under way quickly on Thursday. After a full evaluation by the Coast Guard and the Army Corps of Engineers, the Captain of the Port for Sector St. Petersburg partially reopened Port of Tampa Bay for navigation effective Thursday evening, with significant restrictions. 

While open for smaller vessels, Port of Tampa Bay and Port Manatee are still closed to vessels over 1,600 GT and petroleum barges over 10,000 GT, ruling out most of the larger Jones Act tank vessels that supply the region. Vessel movements are restricted to daylight hours only, and ships are advised to proceed with caution, since only preliminary surveys have been completed so far. The smaller ports of St. Petersburg and Ft. Myers have not been surveyed and remain closed.

"Port staff are working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Coast Guard and our maritime partners to assess our landside and seaside operations. We will share updates on when the port's shipping channels can re-open, as soon as they are available," said Port of Tampa Bay in a statement. 

On the land side, Port of Tampa Bay is without power, like millions of other utility customers in central and western Florida. Some buildings suffered damage from the storm, but the port has found no significant dock damage, and road access is open to the gate (though there are still closures nearby). 

Assessments at the port's key fuel terminals - which are operated by multiple tenant companies - are still under way. Once the terminals reopen, it will likely take several days for tanker trucks to resupply thousands of gas stations across the region, logistics experts say. Those stations will also need electrical power restored before they can pump any gas. 

"It's not a solution that you could implement tomorrow," said Jason Miller, a professor of supply chain management at Michigan State University, speaking to ABC. 

According to the Florida Maritime Association, Jones Act product tankers are lined up and ready to deliver fuel to the region as soon as they get the all-clear. 

Port Everglades and Port Miami have received the all-clear from the Coast Guard and have fully reopened. At Port Canaveral, landside access has reopened for tenants and businesses, but waterways remained closed Thursday pending the completion of channel surveys.  

Jaxport, the port of Jacksonville, Florida, remained closed Thursday but plans to reopen landside operations Friday morning. Further north, up the coast, the ports of Brunswick and Savannah, Georgia are fully open for navigation and landside operations.