Florida ports close as Hurricane Milton approaches Tampa fertilizer hub

HOUSTON (ICIS)–Ports along Florida’s Gulf Coast are closed to vessel traffic as Milton approaches the state’s fertilizer hub in Tampa as a Category 4 hurricane.

Port Tampa Bay and the nearby SeaPort Manatee have set Port Condition Zulu, which means that they are shut down to inbound and outbound vessel traffic.

The following table shows the conditions of some of the ports in Florida.

Port	Status	Condition
SeaPort Manatee	Closed	Zulu
Port Tampa Bay	Closed	Zulu
PortMiami	Open	Yankee
Port Everglades	Open	Yankee
Port of Palm Beach	Open	Yankee
Fort Pierce	Open	Yankee
Port Canaveral	Open	Yankee
Jaxport	Open	Yankee
Port of Fernandina	Open	Yankee

Source: Ports, US Coast Guard

LANDFALL ON WEDNESDAY
Milton is expected to make landfall on Wednesday near Tampa, Florida, after weakening to a Category 3 hurricane, according to the meteorological firm AccuWeather.

Milton will remain a major hurricane when it makes landfall, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 111-129 miles/hour (178-208 km/hour).

The following map shows the expected path of Milton

Source: National Hurricane Center

IMPACT ON FERTILIZERS, PHOSPHATES, CHEMS
For chemicals, there is some epoxy resin, phenolic resin and unsaturated polyester resin production in Lakeland and Kathleen, Florida. Both are near Tampa.

Milton will make landfall far from Pensacola, Florida, which has plants that make nylon and thermoset resins.

Tampa is an important hub for the US fertilizer industry, hosting corporate offices, trading, product storage, shipping and other logistical operations.

Fertilizer producer Mosaic has its headquarters in Tampa. The company has not issued any statements regarding its corporate operations.

A source at the fertilizer company Yara said it was shutting down its Tampa offices to comply with the evacuation orders.

Near Tampa is Florida’s phosphate mining operations in Bone Valley, which covers parts of Hardee, Hillsborough, Manatee and Polk counties.

In all, Florida has 27 phosphate mines, of which nine are active, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

Canadian fertilizer producer Nutrien has yet to restart its White Springs phosphate operations following Helene, an earlier hurricane that made landfall farther north in Florida’s Big Bend region.

On 30 September, Mosaic said its Riverview operations were offline following water intrusion from a storm surge caused by Hurricane Helene.

RAIL CONTINUES RUNNING
On 7 October, CSX said it is maintaining normal operations at its yards and terminals. Meanwhile, the railroad company is putting its safety protocols in place.

Also on 7 October, Norfolk Southern warned customers to prepare for delays if they have shipments moving through the southeastern US.

RECONSTRUCTION FOLLOWING MILTON
Hurricane Milton could be extremely destructive because of its winds, rainfall and storm surge.

It will pass over the following metropolitan statistical areas.

Region	Population
Tampa	3,342,963
Orlando	2,817,933
Jacksonville	1,713,240
Sarasota	910,108

Source: US Census Bureau

Tampa and Sarasota could suffer storm surges of 10-15 feet (3.0-4.6 meters), according to the National Hurricane Center.

Storm surges of 3-5 feet could hit the areas from Port Canaveral northwards, including Jacksonville, Florida.

AccuWeather warned that the hardest hit areas could have storm surges of 23 feet.

“We are very concerned that Hurricane Milton could become one of the most damaging and costliest storms that Florida has ever seen,” said Jon Porter, AccuWeather chief meteorologist. “Our forecast for 120 miles per hour to 140 miles per hour wind gusts will result in significant destruction. We expect roofs to fail, as well as long-lasting and widespread power outages. These damaging winds will push inland right along the Interstate 4 corridor,”

For hurricanes in general, reconstruction can translate to increased demand for many chemicals and polymers.

The white pigment titanium dioxide (TiO2) is used in paints.

Solvents used in paints and coatings include butyl acetate (butac), butyl acrylate (butyl-A), ethyl acetate (etac), glycol ethers, methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) and isopropanol (IPA).

Blends of aliphatic and aromatic solvents are also used to make paints and coatings.

For polymers, expandable polystyrene (EPS) and polyurethane (PU) foam are used in insulation.

Polyurethanes are made of methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), toluene diisocyanate (TDI) and polyols.

High density polyethylene (HDPE) is used in pipe. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is used to make cladding, window frames, wires and cables, flooring and roofing membranes.

Unsaturated polyester resins (UPR) are used to make coatings and composites.

Vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) is used to make paints and adhesives.

POTENTIAL FOR DISRUPTION TO GULF OIL
Hurricane Helene disrupted US oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico even though it passed through the eastern portion of the body of water.

Hurricane Milton could have the same potential as it approaches the US.

Additional reporting by Mark Milam

Thumbnail shows Hurricane Milton. Image by National Hurricane Center.