Port of Morehead City reopens

Port of Morehead City reopens    The U.S. Coast Guard reopened the North Carolina State Ports Authority’s terminal in Morehead City and adjacent waterways on Thursday afternoon.
   The terminal had been closed since Tuesday morning when drums containing the chemical PETN were punctured by a forklift while being loaded on a truck. On Wednesday, additional chemical was found in some of the shipping containers that the chemical was stored in. PETN is used in industrial explosives as well as ordinance.
   “We would like to thank all the federal, state and local agencies that came together in a single unified effort to resolve this issue incident free and efficiently,” said Capt. June Ryan, Captain of the Port for North Carolina.
   Thomas J. Eagar, the port authority’s chief executive officer, said no injuries or environmental damage were reported as a result of the spill, which had also caused a voluntary evacuation of part of the city near the terminal.