Hurricane Florence expected to disrupt US classic car shipping

Hurricane Florence was expected to disrupt operations for several classic car shipping businesses, one of the companies warned Wednesday.

“When Hurricane Florence reaches land on Friday morning, expect road and port closures, resulting in delayed vehicle collections and container departures,” West Coast Shipping said in a release.

Barring any changes in its predicted path, Florence was expected to slam into the Carolinas late this week. The Category 2 hurricane has produced sustained wind forces as high as 125 mph, though that number has varied in recent days.

In a tweet, the National Weather Service said some offshore buoys were reporting wave heights in excess of 20 feet on Wednesday. The National Hurricane Center said it measured waves as high as 83 feet.

Wind speeds on land were expected to begin picking up Thursday. As a result, ports in Savannah, Georgia; Charleston, South Carolina; and Norfolk, Virginia could face major delays or be closed outright until the storm passes. Nearby roads will likely be flooded or closed.

West Coast Shipping said other shipping companies — such as Maersk, CMA CGM and MSC — all have operations in those ports that could be affected by the storm.

Delays could also be lengthy. CNN reported that the storm could crawl inland at just a few miles an hour, which could mean longer port closures.

More than one million people across Virginia and the Carolinas were told to evacuate ahead of Florence, which will be one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes to make landfall on the East Coast in recent memory.

West Coast Shipping said it does not expect its enclosed New York/New Jersey facility to be affected by the storm but Florence-related delays could impact operations there.

In related news, a classic car show planned by Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam was reportedly rescheduled to Sept. 29 because of the storm. Northam, a car buff who owns a 1953 Oldsmobile and a 1971 Corvette, had “helped organize a planned car show on Capital Square that will feature classic cars from around the state,” the Associated Press reported.