As of 5 p.m. Atlantic Standard Time on August 12, 2024, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) has upgraded the Atlantic weather disturbance to Tropical Storm Ernesto.
In response, the U.S. Coast Guard has issued warnings to maritime traffic and ports in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“The disturbance is forecast to pass over parts of the Leeward islands late tonight or Tuesday and move toward the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico by Tuesday evening,” the NHC reported.
With winds expected to exceed 39 miles per hour, the Coast Guard has declared Port Condition X-Ray. This condition indicates gale-force winds are expected within 48 hours. While ports remain open for now, maritime and port facilities are advised to implement precautionary measures.
“We urge the maritime community to not underestimate the impacts of this storm,” said Captain Luis Rodriguez, the sector San Juan commander. “We are working closely with the maritime industry in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico to take the necessary actions to protect our port infrastructure and facilities for the storm’s arrival.”
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A tropical storm warning has been issued for St. Kitts, Antigua, Barbuda, Anguilla, St. Martin, the British and U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Nevis, Montserrat, Guadeloupe, Vieques, and Culebra, indicating conditions are expected to deteriorate within 36 hours.
Should gale-force winds be forecasted to reach Puerto Rico and the USVI within 24 hours, the Coast Guard will escalate to Port Condition Yankee. At this time, ports will be closed to inbound traffic and any ocean-going vessels greater than 500 gross tons will have to depart.
If the situation worsens within 12 hours of the impending storm, Port Condition Yankee will be fully activated, suspending all port operations.
Cruise Lines Alter Eastern Caribbean Itineraries
The tropical storm is causing cruise lines to alter Caribbean routes in precaution of worsening weather conditions and to provide a safer voyage to passengers.
Currently, only Royal Caribbean International’s 78,491-gross-ton Rhapsody of the Seas homeports in the affected U.S. territories. On a 7-night voyage that departed from San Juan on August 11, the ship was scheduled to call in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands on August 12, but rescheduled the call for August 17.
It also rescheduled its stop in St. Maarten. Originally scheduled for August 13, the ship will instead visit on August 16, indicating the ship may have reversed its course to start in Barbados and get behind the storm, although its current route has yet to be confirmed and its additional calls are all positioned in the storm’s path.
Norwegian Cruise Line’s 145,655-gross-ton Norwegian Breakaway and Royal Caribbean International’s Icon of the Seas, the largest ship in the world at 248,663 gross tons, each shifted this week’s Eastern Caribbean itineraries to the Western Caribbean instead.
Norwegian Breakaway, which began a 7-day voyage from Miami on August 11, cancelled its calls to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic; St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; Tortola, British Virgin Islands; and Great Stirrup Cay, the cruise line’s private island in the Bahamas.
Icon of the Seas, which also departed from Miami on August 10, cancelled its calls to Basseterre, St. Kitts, and St. Thomas.
Both ships elected to travel to Roatan, Honduras, and Costa Maya, Mexico, with Norwegian Breakaway also visiting Cozumel, Mexico, and its other private destination Harvest Caye in Belize. Icon of the Seas is also visiting Royal Caribbean’s private destination Perfect Day at CocoCay.
As the storm continues to develop and move, the Coast Guard and ports will provide additional updates.
