[PAUL TASH] The most dreadful rainstorm rolled in early in the morning.
There's a report that a ship has hit the skyway
and there are cars in the water
[MARK LUTHER] an inbound freighter
is overtaken by an intense early summer, late spring squall line
collided with one of the main bridge supports
and the southbound span of the bridge collapsed.
[DEBORAH BLUM] As I started approaching the tollbooth,
I could see they were turning cars away,
and that's when I realized something
very bad had happened.
[PAUL TASH] Thirty five people died.
Twenty four of them were on a Greyhound bus and 11 others.
And again, we all knew that
it might have been any one of us on the bridge that day.
[CHRIS DIVEGLIO] The incident in Tampa Bay
inspired the creation of the NOAA Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System
since its inception in 1991
The PORTS program has grown to more than 35 operational systems.
Ports is a publicly available navigation tool
around various U.S. seaports.
[NICOLE LEBOEUF] NOAA's PORTS Program provides essential decision support in real time,
as well as for future planning in a changing world.
[DAVE BERAULT] I'm one of 14 pilots in Mobile, Alabama,
all who use ports data on a daily basis.
[BETH CHRISTMAN] It's invaluable because we know that
ships are getting bigger.
Bridges are not getting higher.
Channels are not getting deeper and wider.
And if we're going to be able to service the Port of Baltimore
with some of these larger vessels,
then we need to be able to have this information at our fingertips.
[CAROLYN KURTZ] During a typical workday,
I look at ports even before I get on the water.
As soon as they get called for a job,
I go to the screen
and I look for the wind, sea state, and visibility
so that I have a good idea
of what the weather's doing before I ever get on the ship.
[BRIAN MILLER] Many of our challenges are actually seasonal.
So in spring and fall, we get heavy fog,
which the PORTS system helps the pilots navigate through.
Also, we get heavy winds during the winter.
So that also helps them with the winds
and the currents that are affected
by those weather weather systems.
[DONNA SCHANTZ] Information on surface currents, including strength and direction,
can be of great value in the safe docking
and undocking of the crude oil tankers
at the Valdez Marine Terminal in Alaska.
[STEVEN GIBSON] We're able to not only react to the currents in the channel,
but be proactive in setting up for crosscurrents,
flood or ebb tides
[STUART GRIFFIN] PORTS enables us to ensure safe passage of vessels,
specifically things like under keel clearance,
as well as air gap
or the clearance of a vessel's antennas and mast under a bridge safely.
[JESSE PULLIN] The port sensor is important
because it takes into account the sagging of the bridgespan
due to heat and traffic load,
which can result in a reduction
of clearance by several feet.
[BETH CHRISTMAN] Air draft 181 on the ship, air gap 186
On the NOAA PORTS data.
[JOHN E. CAMERON] PORTS allows us to handle the largest container ships trading in the U.S.,
at both optimal safety and efficiency.
So having the historical data helped us plan the operation
and having the real time data gave us assurance
that we had the clearance that we had planned for.
[JOHN TIMMEL] We've protected the environment
while at the same time
increasing the profitability of the ports of Tampa Bay.
[JENA KENT] PORTS provides a holistic view of the marine conditions and high traffic areas.
Where the difference as small as a couple of feet are of great concern.
[TERRY GILBREATH] Our main shipping channel is 45 feet deep
and we sail vessels with 45 foot draft frequently.
We used the operational forecast many times in the last month
to set sailing priorities during these low water events.
[TIM OSBORN] This is really one of the testaments as to the value and the importance
of real time operational systems
which allows a ship like this.
With maybe one or two feet of under keel clearance
to be able to transit up,
and then to go ahead and go to overseas markets.
[FRED MYER] The system's validated the partnership of the federal government,
the pilots and the ports
in developing navigation on the Columbia River
[NICOLE LEBOEUF] To enable PORTS
We rely on strong and valuable partnerships
with other federal agencies and state agencies,
as well as the private sector and academic
and nonprofit partners and stakeholders
to deliver valuable information
into the hands of those who need it most.
[DARREN WRIGHT] I would get an email or a phone call
or a pilot would pull me aside
at a conference or a meeting
and say how PORTS data helped him
avoid a grounding
[JEFF ORROCK] Accurate water level observations are critical for us,
especially when we're getting into times
of predicting how high the water is going to go
and providing those coastal flood warnings
with enough lead time so that folks can prepare.
[STUART GRIFFIN] There's really no substitute for live data from the PORTS program
that either confirms or disproves your calculations
when making transit planning decisions.
[FRED MYER] Congratulations to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
for operating and maintaining the PORTS system
with outstanding data reliability for 30 years
[JUAN KURYLA] On behalf of Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and the entire board
of county commissioners, the port family,
we want to wish NOAA PORTS a happy 30th anniversary.
[LYNN KORWATCH] We are delighted to be able to celebrate many years
of getting real-time information that provides value
to all of the users in our region.
[DAVE BERAULT] Thanks for allowing us to participate
in the 30th anniversary
of the ports program
by sharing a few observations
about our use of ports.