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Mississippi River, Port of New Orleans Open to Vessels After Barry

The port was reopened at about 6 a.m. Sunday and vessels were once again allowed into and out of the Mississippi River and the port, according to a press release from the U.S. Coast Guard.

A levee in New Orleans' 9th ward holds back the Mississippi River from neighborhoods after Tropical Storm Barry on July 14, 2019.
A levee in the 9th ward holds back the Mississippi River from neighborhoods after Tropical Storm Barry passed through New Orleans, La. on Sunday, July 14, 2019.
Seth Herald/AFP/Getty Images/TNS
The U.S. Coast Guard reopened the Port of New Orleans Sunday morning as the remnants of Hurricane Barry made their way inland.

The port was reopened about 6 a.m. and vessels were once again allowed into and out of the Mississippi River and the port, according to a press release from the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard formally closed the Mississippi to all traffic from the river's mouth as far up as Angola on Friday as Barry approached as a tropical storm. Over the previous days, the pilots who steer ships on the river had stopped bringing vessels into or out of the mouth of the river and the port had stopped loading operations in anticipation of the storm.

"Even while the storm was still approaching landfall, we were making preparations to reopen our ports and restore critical infrastructure and marine transportation systems as quickly as possible after it passed," said Capt. Kristi Luttrell, the Coast Guard's Sector New Orleans commander. "Along with safety of the public and first responders, restoration of maritime commerce was one of our top priorities."

 

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