A friend in Orlando sent me this news article about the Port. It is very self explanatory. Hope it is helpful.
Jamie
9/25 Magic
Sand closes busy Port Canaveral
Closure means $1M a day in losses locally
BY SCOTT BLAKE
FLORIDA TODAY
Hurricane Frances has clogged Port Canaveral's shipping channel with sand.
That has prevented ships from re-entering the port, stopping all cruise and cargo business at the world's second-busiest cruise port until the waterway can be cleared. And it's costing more than $1 million a day in losses to the local economy and temporarily putting hundreds of people out of work.
The Canaveral Port Authority has contacted the Army Corps of Engineers, which is responsible for maintaining the channel, about dredging the entrance so the port can reopen. Port officials don't know when that will be, but they're hoping the work can be done by Friday or the weekend, at the earliest.
"The Corps has indicated they may do it by the end of the week or the weekend," Port Authority spokeswoman Dixie Sansom said Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the cruise ships at Canaveral have been diverted to South Florida seaports, altering the vacation plans of several thousand cruise passengers.
The port's closure also has put hundreds of people temporarily out of work, from baggage handlers at the cruise terminals to casino-ship employees. It also has cut off supplies of fuel, cement, lumber and tons of other cargo shipped into Port Canaveral each week.
At Port Canaveral, Hurricane Frances pushed sand into the channel so it's only 27 feet deep. The channel normally is 41 feet deep, and can be opened at a minimum depth of 37 feet, Sansom said.
Sansom said the Port Authority has enlisted the help of Gov. Jeb Bush, U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon, R-Melbourne, and the Department of Homeland Security to urge the Army Corps of Engineers to dredge the channel as soon as possible.
"We want (the Corps) to understand the importance of the situation. Every day the port is not open, it's costing the Central Florida economy about $1 million," she said. "And that's not taking into account the impact on local hotels, Kennedy Space Center and the Orlando attractions."
Officials at the Army Corps of Engineers headquarters in Washington, D.C., could not be reached immediately for comment. The Corps has been working in other parts of Florida to aid in the recovery following Hurricane Charley last month.
Port officials don't know how much of the channel needs dredging. They hope the Army Corps of Engineers also will do the survey work that's needed before the dredging can begin.
"We don't know if it's a long stretch or a small stretch" that's too shallow, Sansom said. "In recent years, there hasn't been a situation where the port could not be reopened until there's emergency dredging."
Port Canaveral has been second only to the Port of Miami in the number of cruise passengers it handles. Canaveral drew more than 1.26 million passengers from January through June, according to Port Authority statistics.
Of that total, daily offshore gambling cruises by Sterling Casino Lines and SunCruz Casinos drew more than 580,000 passengers during the first half of the year, statistics show. The two casino vessels have been out of service at Canaveral this week.
Brevard County's seaport also is home to some of the world's largest cruise ships, including those operated by Carnival Cruise Lines,
Disney Cruise Line and
Royal Caribbean International.
Because of the hurricane, all three cruise lines disembarked passengers this week at ports in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, and have been busing them back to Port Canaveral and Orlando or helping them make alternative flight arrangements out of South Florida.
The cruise lines also have been altering their itineraries to sail on cruises this week out of South Florida, instead of Canaveral. The companies were offering full refunds to passengers who chose not to go on the altered cruises. Those who go were being given discounts and other perks.
"We're waiting to see what happens before deciding" whether to cancel or alter cruises scheduled to depart later this week, said Royal Caribbean spokesman
