US Gulf ports suspend shipping operations as all brace for Hurricane Isaac

US Gulf Ports have been suspending cargo operations with the approach of Hurricane Isaac, which the National Weather Service said is expected to hit shore Wednesday morning August 29 Hong Kong time.

THE ports of New Orleans, Gulfport, Pascagoula and Mobile will shut down until the storm passes, according to media reports.

Mississippi River pilots ceased moving ships on Monday, closing the river to deep-draft traffic until the storm threat passes. The Port of New Orleans' administration building and cargo operations will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.

"Our staff and terminal operators have taken all the necessary precautions in anticipation of the worst, while we hope for the best," port president and CEO Gary LaGrange said. "This isn't our first rodeo."

Cargo handling has been completed on the MSC Nederland, which will remain in port along with five other ships until the river is reopened. Container gates have closed and breakbulk operations have also ceased.

The Port of Mobile ordered all vessels to sail by on Sunday afternoon unless otherwise approved by the Coast Guard, port officials said. Since Monday, no cargo has been received at the port terminals. All barges positioned in the port authority's fleet areas also will be required to sail by, and rail operations will be suspended.

The storm Isaac has lashed the Florida Keys and South Florida with wind and rain, and it's expected to become an even stronger hurricane as it makes its way toward the northern Gulf Coast.

Isaac is expected to make landfall somewhere along the Gulf Coast on the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which caused disastrous flooding all along the coast. A hurricane hasn't hit the Gulf Coast since Hurricane Ike in 2008.