Crews Working to Restore Port of Savannah Navigation Aids
The Coast Guard Cutter Cypress crew works to correct aid to navigation in the Savannah River after Hurricane Matthew Oct. 12, 2016. The Cypress is a 225-foot buoy tender built for maintaining aids to navigation. (U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Coast Guard Cutter Cypress)
(U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Coast Guard Cutter Cypress)
In the wake of Hurricane Matthew, the Port of Savannah has been reopened Thursday to two-way traffic during daylight hours as response crews continue to identify, remove, replace or repair the surrounding navigational infrastructure.
“Our Coast Guard crews have been working diligently to restore operations in the Port of Savannah, and it was because of their dedication that we were able to open the port to two-way traffic,” said Coast Guard Cmdr. Amy Beach, Marine Safety Unit Savannah commander. “The Port of Savannah was hit the hardest by Hurricane Matthew, and we had a lot of challenges and obstacles to overcome. There is still a lot of work to be done, but reopening the port to two-way traffic was critical.”
The team consists of crews from the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Anvil, Cutter Cypress, Aids to Navigation Team (ANT) Tybee Island and ANT Fort Lauderdale.
The Coast Guard Cutter Anvil is a 75-foot inland construction tender, homported in Charleston, S.C. The Coast Guard Cutter Cypress is a 225-foot seagoing buoy tender homeported in Pensacola, Fla.
Debris and underwater hazards still pose a threat to the safe navigation of vessels in the Savannah River, the Coast Guard said.
