Cyclone Murasu Makes Landfall in Andhra Pradesh, Ports on High Alert
Cyclone Murasu has made landfall on the coast of Andhra Pradesh, on India’s Bay of Bengal seaboard, after it began hitting the coastal region at around 1 am. The India Meteorological Department said the storm crossed the coast between Nellore and Narsapur, and reports said the core landfall was further south near Ongole in Prakasam district. Ongole lies on the central Andhra Pradesh coast, roughly midway between Chennai and Visakhapatnam.
Winds of 100 to 110 km/h were reported along the coastal belt. Visakhapatnam Port, on the northern Andhra coast, was placed under a Signal 9 storm warning, a high-level signal that indicates a cyclone crossing the coast to the south of the port. The storm’s outer bands disrupted maritime operations and logistics across the region.
The cyclone also affected air travel, with 19 flights cancelled at three Andhra Pradesh airports and 11 flights from Chennai postponed. More than 160,000 people were moved to safety in neighbouring Odisha, and 37 National Disaster Response Force teams were deployed across five states, including 13 in Andhra Pradesh. Chennai’s Ennore Port recorded about 10 cm of rain. The name Murasu means “war drum” in Tamil.
The storm hit the same coast less than a week after Cyclone Arnab, which caused deaths on shore and the grounding of a bulk carrier off Kakinada in late October.
For ships at anchor or alongside at Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Krishnapatnam and nearby ports, the coming days may bring heavy swell, delays and changing port instructions. Masters are expected to follow harbour master orders, keep main engines ready and maintain extra anchor watches until the weather settles.
