Coast Guard officially reopens ports affected by Hurricane Lowell

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The U.S. Coast Guard has officially reopened several ports affected by Hurricane Lowell Thursday.

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USCG said Lowell affected 11 navigational aids throughout the island and brought in-water hazards to Port Allen Harbor on Kauai and Kaumalapau Harbor in Lanai. Both ports were placed in port condition recovery.

On Saturday, Kauai County dispelled rumors that Port Allen was fully closed to traffic.

A day later, the Hawaii Department of Transportation announced Kaumalapau Harbor began limited operations.

During the recovery effort, crews and divers recovered, repositioned, marked and reestablished critical navigational aids. They also conducted side-scan sonar sweeps to check for submerged hazards at Port Allen. Equipment was also delivered to affected waterways.

Coast Guard Regional Dive Locker Pacific completed 14 dives on Kauai with support from Coast Guard Station Kauai and the cutter William Hart. The cutter Juniper also aided navigation positioning efforts.

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The divers also completed 10 dives on Oahu with support from Coast Guard Station Honolulu and cutter Hollyhock.

HC-130 Hercules crews from Air Station Barbers Point delivered personnel and equipment to Lanai for dive operations and repair efforts at Kaumalapau Harbor.

With recovery efforts completed, Port Allen and Nawiliwili Harbor on Kauai and Kaumalapau Harbor on Lanai are officially reopened and restored safe access for commercial, military, cruise-ship and other maritime traffic, the Coast Guard said.

USCG said a buoy was also removed from Honolulu Harbor, which allowed it to reopen to deep-draft vessels.

“Maintaining aids to navigation, especially after a storm like Hurricane Lowell, is essential for the flow of commerce throughout the Hawaiian Islands,” said Cmdr. Andrew Williams, Coast Guard Sector Honolulu response department head. “We are proud of the exceptional work of our crews and our partners at the Hawaii Department of Transportation for their work to reopen critical harbors and safeguard the flow of maritime traffic.”

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View all port conditions from the USCG here.