Port of New Orleans remains open

Port of New Orleans remains open    The Port of New Orleans remains open, but the U.S. Coast Guard has closed a section of the Mississippi River near Natchez, Miss., because of high-water conditions.
   The Coast Guard said it had closed the river from mile markers 350 to 365 until further notice, and there are two vessels waiting to transit northbound and one vessel waiting to transit southbound.
   The Coast Guard also said the Port Allen Route from Morgan City to Baton Rouge is closed due to the Port Allen Lock being closed due to high water. It said there are no vessels waiting to transit.
   “Higher water poses a greater threat to mariners and flood-control structures,” said Cmdr. Timothy Wendt, chief of Waterways Management for the Eighth Coast Guard District. “We’re working very closely with the Army Corps of Engineers as well as industry partners to facilitate the safe movement of commerce and protect these flood-control structures.”
   A Coast Guard spokesman also said that high water can disturb aids to navigation such as buoys.
   The Port of New Orleans said Monday afternoon that it continues to conduct business as usual and new forecasts since the opening of the Morganza Floodway Saturday indicate river levels in New Orleans are expected to remain steady for the next two weeks.
   'We are working closely with the U.S. Coast Guard to monitor the high river situation, but all indications point to avoiding any major restrictions on the Lower Mississippi River throughout this event,' said Gary LaGrange, Port of New Orleans President and chief executive officer.
   For up-to-date information, the Coast Guard suggests checking information located in the “port directory” section of its Homeport Web page.