Port infrastructure at Port-au-Prince was damaged during the January 12 Haiti quake, complicating efforts to sail to the devastated city, the Miami Herald reported.

The US Coast Guard is patrolling the port in Port-au-Prince to see if the heavily damaged facility can be used for rescue efforts.

"There is significant damage to the port in Port-au-Prince,'' Coast Guard Lt Commander Matt Moorlag said.

"Several containers are either in the water or knocked over on their sides. There is structural damage as well to the pier itself.''

The US Coast Guard Cutter Forward, which is in the Port-au-Prince area, will send a smaller boat later in the week to make a "hands-on'' inspection of the port.

"The first thing we need to do is make an assessment if there are areas of safe navigation within the port,'' he said. The Coast Guard is working in cooperation with Haiti's Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard has four cutters and a Hercules C-130 plane in the vicinity of Haiti and at least one more - the Coast Guard Cutter Oak - was dispatched to the island as part of a sweeping multi-agency rescue effort.

If the port is deemed to be usable, the Cutter Oak is capable of putting markers and buoys in the ports waters to help guide ships in, Moorlag said.

The port cranes at Port-au-Prince were knocked into the water by the earthquake and "we've been advised by US military's Southern Command that a good portion of the pier has been destroyed,'' said Jay Brickman, vice president of government services for Crowley Maritime, which operates regular cargo service to Port-au-Prince from Port Everglades.

A Crowley ship that sailed from Port Everglades Wednesday skipped a port call in Port-au-Prince, because of uncertainty about access, Brickman said. The ship normally carries some food and some cutouts of fabric for making clothing, he said.

The next Crowley ship bound for Haiti is scheduled to depart Port Everglades Friday, and Crowley is monitoring the situation, Brickman said.

"The situation in Haiti is very chaotic right now,'' Brickman said. Limited communications with the island is making it harder for shippers to determine how and where to participate in relief efforts.

Brickman said only ships carrying their own gear for unloading goods could effectively service Port-au-Prince. However, with the pier damaged, "even if a vessel with its own gear is there, the question is, can it dock in Port-au-Prince. There are certainly indications that has been heavily damaged as well."