Felix has minor impact on ship schedules

Felix has minor impact on ship schedules Hurricane Felix slammed into Central America Tuesday between the main cargo ports in the region, sparing those facilities from damage and causing only slight adjustments to shipping schedules.
   There could be longer-term impacts due to heavy rains and flooding, with the potential for mudslides in the mountain regions, which received up to 25 inches of rain. But the mountains also helped to slow and weaken the storm.
   The Category 5 hurricane hit the northern coast of Nicaragua, close to the border with Honduras. But it was far from Puerto Cortes, Honduras, when it made landfall at maximum strength with winds of 160 miles per hour.
   The Port of Santo Tomas, Guatemala, was similarly spared, and the storm was far north of Puerto Limon, Costa Rica. Those ports remained open on Tuesday, but Belize facilities were closed for the day Tuesday as a precaution.
   Seaboard Marine, which operates services to the north and south zones of Central American from Miami and Houston, said it has made only minor adjustments to its shipping schedules as a result of Hurricane Felix.
   The Seaboard Express' sailing from Miami to Puerto Cortes is delayed for one day after waiting for the storm to pass, and will call Puerto Cortes Thursday.
   Seaboard said its vessel CEC Mermaid, sailing from New Orleans to Belize, was holding at a safe distance as the storm moved through, and would likely arrive in port on Thursday.
   The Fortunia, sailing from the north zone to New Orleans, discharged and loaded in Santo Tomas Monday and in Puerto Cortes Tuesday morning, and was en route to New Orleans, Seaboard said.
   Seaboard services to Costa Rica and Panama are running about a half-day behind schedule, after sailing further to the east as the storm headed west.