Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30. For Miami importers, that's six months where a single storm forecast can freeze the port, strand containers, and blow up delivery schedules. The companies that handle it well aren't lucky — they've made decisions before the storm forms. The ones that scramble are the ones who assumed it wouldn't happen to them.
How Port Closures Work
Port Miami and Port Everglades don't wait for the storm to arrive before they shut down. Both ports follow phased closure protocols tied to the National Hurricane Center's advisory track, starting the moment a storm enters a 72-hour cone that includes South Florida.
The general timeline runs like this: cargo operations scale back 72 hours out, vessel sailings are expedited or canceled, and terminal gate operations shut down 48 hours before projected landfall. Once a port closes, no trucks go in or out until the Coast Guard lifts its port closure order — which happens only after an inspection of channel conditions, berth damage, and navigational hazards.
After a direct hit, Port Miami has historically reopened within 2-5 days for basic cargo operations, assuming the storm doesn't cause major infrastructure damage. A glancing blow can see the port back online in 24-36 hours. Irma in 2017 shut South Florida ports for 4-6 days. Every storm is different.
The practical result: any container sitting at the terminal when the gates close stays there until the port reopens. Any container cleared but not yet picked up accumulates port storage charges for every day of closure, unless your steamship line issues a force majeure hold on demurrage accrual.
Demurrage and Free Time During Storms
Most steamship lines suspend demurrage accrual during a formal port closure, but the rules vary by carrier and by how much notice you give them.
The safest move: pull containers that are near their free time expiration before a storm arrives. A container in a private staging yard has no steamship line demurrage accruing against it. The yard's storage rate of $25-50 per day beats any terminal storage rate by a wide margin, and the yard's force majeure terms are usually simpler to invoke.
Container Storage Options Before a Storm
Where your container sits during a storm matters. The port terminal is technically the safest structure for the container itself — port facilities are built to withstand high winds. But the port's access policies, not the weather, are what affect your schedule and costs.
What to Do When a Watch Is Posted
A hurricane watch means conditions are possible within 48 hours. That's your window to act. Once a warning is issued (24 hours), your options narrow.
Work through this list the moment a watch covers South Florida:
- Pull any container within 3 days of free time expiration. Don't wait to see if the storm shifts — the pre-pull cost is low compared to demurrage accrual plus post-storm congestion surcharges.
- Contact your customs broker. Confirm which containers have CBP holds or are pending exam. These can't be moved regardless of the storm. Your broker needs to file any urgency release requests before port operations scale down.
- Notify your steamship lines in writing about containers you cannot pick up due to port access restrictions. Email creates a record. If demurrage disputes arise after the storm, documented communication gives you standing.
- Confirm your chassis provider's force majeure process. Some require a phone call to a specific number; others have an online portal. Find out now, not after the port closes.
- Warn your warehouse. Post-storm cargo surges are real — every importer who couldn't pick up during the closure tries to receive simultaneously in the days after reopening. Lock in receiving appointments for your cargo before the surge hits.
- Check your cargo insurance policy. Most marine cargo policies cover hurricane damage during transit. Policies covering storage vary. A quick call to your broker confirms whether your cargo in a staging yard or port terminal is covered.
After the Port Reopens
The port reopening announcement is not the same as normal operations. Expect a phased return. First priority goes to emergency cargo, hazmat vessels, and military assets. Container terminals typically open 24-48 hours after the Coast Guard lifts the closure, but with reduced staffing and significant congestion from backed-up vessels.
Plan for these conditions in the first week after reopening:
- Turn times at the gates run 2-4x the normal average. What's usually a 45-minute turn becomes 2-3 hours. Schedule drivers with that buffer or pre-book morning appointments before congestion builds.
- Chassis availability drops sharply. Every drayage carrier in South Florida needs chassis at once. If you have containers that can wait an extra day or two, let the initial surge pass before scheduling pickups.
- Some steamship lines issue post-storm demurrage relief periods — typically 2-3 additional free days for containers that couldn't be retrieved during the closure. Request this in writing from your ocean carrier's customer service team, not just their automated systems.
- Inspect containers before signing off on delivery. Storms at sea can shift cargo inside sealed containers. Document any damage at the gate before the truck leaves the terminal.
The post-storm congestion window usually lasts 7-14 days. Importers who pre-pulled their time-sensitive containers before the storm often clear their delivery backlog while their competitors are still waiting in port queues.
Year-Round Steps to Stay Ready
The best hurricane prep for a Miami importer isn't a checklist you pull out in August. It's a set of standing procedures that kick in whenever a watch is posted, regardless of season.
Keep an updated spreadsheet of every open container: the container number, steamship line, free time expiration date, last free day, CBP status, and scheduled delivery date. When a watch is posted, you can identify at-risk containers in five minutes instead of 45.
Establish a pre-approved relationship with at least one staging yard before you need it. Calling a yard for the first time with a storm 60 hours out is how you end up with no availability and full-price rates. A standing account takes 15 minutes to set up and costs nothing until you use it.
Ask your drayage carrier how they handle storm protocols. At One A Trucks, we monitor NHC forecasts and flag containers at risk of demurrage exposure when a tropical system enters the Gulf or Atlantic. When a watch goes up, we reach out to customers with containers nearing their free time window — not to create urgency, but to give them real options before the window closes.
South Florida moves roughly 2 million TEUs per year through its two major ports. A hurricane doesn't stop that trade — it delays it. The importers who build their operations around that reality spend a lot less money every time a storm shows up on the radar.