Gas deliveries are rolling again from SeaPort Manatee to Southwest Florida after Ian
Tanker trucks resumed picking up fuel at SeaPort Manatee and making deliveries Thursday night.
“The port has plenty of fuel in its tanks, and three tankers are waiting in the Gulf of Mexico to deliver more to SeaPort Manatee as soon as the Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers complete their survey of the channel,” Carlos Buqueras, executive director of SeaPort Manatee, said Friday morning.
Those surveys are needed to ensure there are no submerged objects in the way after the passage of Hurricane Ian, he said.
Although the port remained open during the storm, it was unsafe for tanker trucks to be on the road or for tanker ships to try to enter SeaPort Manatee, he said.
The disruption caused by Ian resulted in some local stations running out of gasoline.
One of those was the Chevron station at 5704 14th St. W.
But before the station ran out of gas, manager Ricardo Leal kept it open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, and rationed each customer 5 gallons of gas.
“Everyone was so appreciative and thankful that Ricardo did that because it allowed them to get gas for their generator or car,” station owner Arlene Leakeas said.
“There were 50 to 60 people in that store all day getting coffee, snacks and gas. It was unbelievable. Cars were going in circles around the block waiting to get into line,” she said.
Although the Chevron station was out of gas Friday, it was on the list to get more Friday.
To find gas in Manatee County, visit gasbuddy.com.
In fiscal year 2021, there were 9,376,621 barrels (393,818,082 gallons) of fuel moved through SeaPort Manatee.
This story was originally published September 30, 2022 at 11:55 AM.
