Port of Houston reports minimal damage from Ike

The Port of Houston Authority said that based on preliminary assessments its facilities have limited negative impact from Hurricane Ike.

The port said it is in an asset assessment and operation recovery mode and that it is working to restore power. It hoped to reopen Monday at 7 a.m.

Reuters reported the port of Corpus Christi reopened Sunday while Houston, Beaumont-Port Arthur and Lake Charles, La., remained closed and the Coast Guard assessed closed ship channels for debris, shoaling and displaced navigation aids.

In Houston, officials said initial assessments revealed minimal wind damage that knocked down a few fences, containers and electrical lines. We also received expected minimal water damage that caused some standing water. Overall, the port authority facilities and its assets are in good shape considering the magnitude and strength of the hurricane, the agency added.

The port said all vessels docked at its terminals were secure. It added that the Rickmers Seoul broke loose but it was contained and secured within a matter of minutes thanks to nearby tugboat operators.

USA Today reported that Carnival Cruise Line is canceling two cruises scheduled to begin Monday from the Port of Galveston.

It said about 5,000 vacationers will receive refunds.

Two ships, originally scheduled to return to Galveston, will instead end their voyages in New Orleans.

Bloomberg said at least 13 refineries, about one-fifth of the U.S. refining capacity, was shut after Hurricane Ike hit the Gulf Coast. Oil companies were making damage assessments after the storm.

The Department of Energy released 309,000 barrels from its strategic reserves to help make up for any short fall in production.

The Coast Guard reported that on Friday evening during the storm, the dry bulk freighter Antalina, hauling petroleum coke, was disabled roughly 100 miles southeast of Galveston, with 22 persons aboard. The vessel reported 30-foot seas and 50 to 80-knot winds.

A rescue by the Coast Guard was aborted because of the weather, but a tugboat Spitzer Rotterdam was sent to take the Antalina in tow.

The Coast Guard also reported that three mobile offshore drilling platforms were identified as potentially adrift off of the Texas coast. One platform was confirmed adrift and reanchored. It said the status of the remaining two is unknown because the platforms have been evacuated.

Four persons were washed over a seawall in Corpus Christi, Friday evening. Three were rescued and the search for the fourth person was suspended Friday night due to the weather. The missing person and another man were walking along a jetty when they were swept away. The other two persons were washed out while trying to assist.