Port Tampa Bay resumed vessel operations and the port’s shipping channels re-opened, with vessel movements restricted to daylight hours, it said on Saturday, days after Hurricane Milton barreled through Florida.

“Some of the first vessels to return will be fuel tankers, cruise ships and vessels carrying perishable cargo,” Port Tampa Bay said in statement.

Port Tampa Bay, Florida’s largest cargo port by tonnage, was shut for all vessel traffic from Oct. 8 due to hurricane Milton. More than 43% of Florida’s fuel imports move through Port Tampa Bay, according to the port’s website.

Rising floodwaters, fuel shortages and power outages are hindering cleanup efforts in Florida after Milton, which made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane.

Milton compounded the devastation left by Hurricane Helene which hit less than two weeks earlier. At least 17 deaths have been reported from Milton, far less than the more than 200 people killed by Helene.
Source: Reuters (Reporting by Ashitha Shivaprasad in Bengaluru)