Port Canaveral evacuation order due to Subtropical Storm Nicole

Dave Berman, Florida Today
·2 min read
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Port Canaveral on Monday afternoon ordered an evacuation of ships in port that are less than 500 tons, because of the approach of Subtropical Storm Nicole.

The National Hurricane Center has issued a hurricane watch affecting the waters of Port Canaveral. The storm is projected to make landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday morning along Florida's east coast.

In a statement, the port said: "Port Canaveral is not suitable for refuge during a hurricane. All vessels under 500 gross tons may not remain in the waters of Port Canaveral."

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Meanwhile, Jacksonville-based U.S. Coast Guard Cmdr. J.D. Rose, the acting captain of the port, has set "Port Condition X-ray" for Port Canaveral. That means sustained gale-force winds of at least 39 mph are predicted within 48 hours.

From left, the MSC Meraviglia, the Disney Fantasy, the Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas and Royal Caribbean Jewell of the Seas were docked at Port Canaveral on Sunday.
From left, the MSC Meraviglia, the Disney Fantasy, the Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas and Royal Caribbean Jewell of the Seas were docked at Port Canaveral on Sunday.

Cruise ship impact: One cruise ship has altered its plans related to Port Canaveral because of Nicole. The New Jersey-based Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas — which is based at Cape Liberty in Bayonne, New Jersey — is bypassing a port-of-call stop at Port Canaveral that was scheduled for Tuesday.

The Port Canaveral-based Norwegian Getaway stopped at Port Canaveral on Tuesday to let off passengers and board another set of passengers.

Port Canaveral does not have any cruise ship sailings scheduled for Wednesday or Thursday. It has three scheduled on Friday, four on Saturday and five on Sunday.

Casino ship not operating: Victory Casino Cruises Marketing Manager Shirley Price Buchanan said the Port Canaveral-based Victory 1 casino ship likely will not sail from Wednesday through Friday because of the storm and the likely closing of the port.

The ship also did not sail last Saturday and Sunday because of high seas, and it does not sail on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Cargo operations disrupted: Port Canaveral officials said the storm also is disrupting scheduled cargo ship arrivals at the port.

State of the Port postponed: Port Canaveral also has postponed Chief Executive Officer John Murray's State of the Port presentation that was scheduled for Wednesday. Instead, the event will be held at 10:30 a.m. Nov. 30.

Dave Berman is business editor at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Berman at dberman@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @bydaveberman.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Nicole: Port Canaveral evacuation order issued for ships under 500 tons