Dockside restaurant closed indefinitely because of Port Royal market fire

July 20--The 11th Street Dockside restaurant in the town of Port Royal is closed indefinitely after suffering water and smoke damage from a fire Sunday that destroyed the adjacent seafood market.

Dockside owner Tom Oliva was in front of his restaurant Monday as police and fire officials continued to inspect the damage. Oliva said he had no idea on a possible timetable for a reopening, that it depends on the extent of the damage and acquiring the proper permits.

Utilities are shut off to the building until it is safe to restore them.

The seafood market and shrimp-packing equipment tied to Port Royal's shrimp docks burned early Sunday morning.

The entire market at the end of 11th Street was lost in the blaze, only three weeks after opening to the public. The adjacent warehouse was damaged as flames tried to cross the roof and 11th Street Dockside restaurant suffered water and smoke damage from firefighters battling to contain the blaze.

A car parked near the market appeared to have been completely burned in the fire.

A call came in about 5:40 a.m. after a driver on the Russell Bell Bridge spotted flames.

The lost equipment included a new freezer, refrigerator, scale and an ice machine that produced 7,000 pounds of ice each day.

Town manager Van Willis said Sunday the priority is getting Dockside open as quickly as possible and its employees back to work.

He said the town would work with its insurance carrier to try to get the seafood operation back up as quickly as possible.

The market was remodeled last winter in preparation for its reopening. Equipment had been purchased over the past couple of years.

The town buys the shrimp from shrimpers as it comes in, and packs and sells the inventory to large buyers in South Carolina and Georgia from the 11th Street docks it leases from the S.C. State Ports Authority. The market fronting the operation sold shrimp and fresh fish and recently reopened to the public for the first time in years.

The docks had long been a financial burden for the town since taking over from the Ports Authority in 2009, losing money each year. But as of June, the operation was poised to break even or make money for the first time, and $500,000 has been budgeted for the docks in the current fiscal year.

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