Port Canaveral closing to ships, business on Wednesday

Port Canaveral is shutting down its cruise and cargo operations on Wednesday because of Hurricane Matthew, port officials announced.

It's the first such closing of the port since 2004.

The U.S. Coast Guard has given notice that the Canaveral Harbor will close by Wednesday afternoon. Under the “Captain of the Port” order, no ship traffic — including cruise and cargo ships, as well as recreational and commercial fishing boats — will be allowed in the harbor until after the storm passes and the order is lifted.

In addition, Port Canaveral Chief Executive Officer John Murray on Tuesday issued an evacuation order for landside operations. The order affects Jetty Park campers, marinas, and all Port businesses and tenants. The deadline to evacuate is noon Wednesday.

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“This is a serious storm, and the protection of people and property is our primary concern,” Murray said in a statement. “We expect high winds and storm surge throughout the port, and have urged the port community to prepare their facilities, so business can resume as quickly as possible after the storm.”

Port Canaveral has not shut down operations because of severe weather since the 2004 storms, when the harbor was closed for 11 days to ship traffic.

Eight cruise ships and four cargo ships had been scheduled to enter Port Canaveral from Wednesday through Sunday.

Earlier this week, Carnival, Disney and Royal Caribbean announced itinerary changes for four Port Canaveral-based ships because of the storm.

Contact Berman at 321-242-3649 or dberman@floridatoday. com, on Twitter at @bydaveberman and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dave.berman.54