U.S. Coast Guard reopening Gulf ports closed by Ida

HOUSTON Nov 11 (Reuters) - The ports of Mobile, Alabama, and Pascagoula, Mississippi, reopened Wednesday to most vessel traffic in the wake of storm Ida, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

The ports of Pensacola and Panama City, Florida, remained closed to all traffic, the Coast Guard said in a news release. The port of Gulfport was open to all traffic.

The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway was open through Mississippi and the Port of Mobile but remained closed east of Mobile, the Coast Guard said.

Ida, once a Category 2 hurricane, went ashore near Mobile early Tuesday as a tropical depression after halting ship operations at several locations on the Gulf of Mexico.

At Pascagoula, the Coast Guard limited traffic between Pascagoula Bar and Bayou Casotte to vessels drafting 36 feet or less and traffic on the Pascagoula River to vessels drafting 30 feet or less.

At Mobile, the Mobile Bar and Ship Channel were open to vessels drafting 40 feet or less, the Coast Guard said. (Reporting by Bruce Nichols; Editing by John Picinich)