The U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port has closed all ports on the Island of Hawaii and Maui County effective at 4 a.m. Thursday.
All pleasure craft have been instructed to seek sheltered waters. All cargo operations in these ports will be secured by 6 p.m. Thursday. Vessels transiting within the vicinity of the Hawaiian Island harbors should seek sheltered waters until storm conditions subside and the Captain of the Port has deemed the ports safe to reopen.
Weather conditions for each port will be updated as information becomes available regarding potential wind conditions for the islands.
Vessels that desire to remain in port must submit a safe mooring plan in writing to the COTP and receive permission to remain in port. Once the storm has passed, and the threat of severe weather has subsided, the Coast Guard, Army Corp of Engineers and State of Hawaii will jointly conduct surveys of channel blockage and prioritize steps to resume essential, then normal, vessel traffic. These steps are to minimize risk of damage to vessels and assess the conditions of channels, aids to navigation, waterfront facilities, piers and other infrastructure.
The COTP, in conjunction with the state DOT-Harbors in Hawaii, will begin sending Port Assessment Teams to accessible areas of the zone. Port Assessment Teams will document all activities using logs, photographs and any other appropriate means.
The Coast Guard will issue a Broadcast Notice to Mariners and fax out a Marine Safety Information Bulletin to notify the reopening of the port and any special conditions.