Based on the latest information from the national hurricane center, government agencies, and terminal partners on the gulf coast of the United States, we have activated our Incident Management Center for Maersk Line to review the situation around-the-clock. We will provide you with updates to keep you informed of the operational impact to cargo operations in North America. We would like to provide you with the following update (as of 5:30pm EST on Monday, August 28th): Weather The Tropical Storm Warning has been extended east of Cameron, Louisiana, to Intracoastal City, Louisiana. A Storm Surge Watch has been issued from Port Bolivar, Texas, to Morgan City, Louisiana. Harvey is expected to produce additional rainfall accumulations of 10 to 20 inches through Thursday over parts of the upper Texas coast into southwestern Louisiana. Isolated storm totals may reach 50 inches over the upper Texas coast, including the Houston/Galveston metropolitan area. These rains are currently producing catastrophic and life-threatening flooding over large portions of southeastern Texas. Elsewhere, Harvey is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 5 to 15 inches farther south into the middle Texas coast and farther east across south-central Louisiana. Rainfall amounts of 5 to 10 inches are expected in southeast Louisiana. You can view all of the latest details regarding Hurricane Harvey on the National Hurricane Center website: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/#harvey Port Operations Port Houston: All Port Houston facilities will remain closed on Tuesday, August 29th, due to the continued threat of inclement weather. They will continue to monitor the developing weather conditions to determine whether operations can safely resume on Wednesday. Updates will be provided as more information is available. You can view the latest information regarding Port Houston container terminals and general cargo facilities on this page. Vessel Operations Please see below for confirmed operational statuses of impacted vessels:
Additional vessel schedule changes will be communicated as they are confirmed. Maersk Line Marine Operations is working with port and local staff to expedite this process. Rail Service BNSF Widespread flooding in the greater Houston area caused by Tropical Storm Harvey is causing major disruptions to BNSF service and operations in the region. Some locations have received nearly 40 inches of rain and several more inches are expected during the next 48 hours. With multiple washouts and high water reported on BNSF main lines in the area, all traffic destined to/originating from Houston has been suspended. Other area rail lines, including those with BNSF trackage rights, have also been forced out of service. All operations at BNSF Houston-area railyards and facilities, including our Pearland Intermodal and Automotive facilities, are currently suspended. Portions of major interstate highways in the Houston area remain closed and officials continue to urge residents to stay off local roadways. Our 24/7 Command Center remains in frequent communication with local, state and federal emergency personnel to evaluate conditions and determine when operations can safely resume. You can view the full BNSF advisory here.