Port Of South Louisiana News

Kimberly Lutz and America’s Watershed Initiative (AWI) are making every effort to sustain the Mississippi River for generations to come.The Mississippi River is one of the world’s largest river systems and is arguably America’s most critical waterway. Flowing over 2,350 miles, spanning, at points, up to eleven miles, and discharging approximately 593,003 cubic feet of water per second into the Gulf of Mexico, the Mighty Mississippi is awe inspiring in terms of its natural characteristics as well as its commercial impact on both the American and global economies.

Only one of three available areas was sold during the United States' first ever offshore wind lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday.The auction, held by the Interior Department's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) offered up three sites for offshore wind development, including one in Louisiana (Lake Charles) and two in Texas (Galveston I and II). Together, the three shallow water sites contain a theoretical potential of 3.7 gigawatts (GW). While 16 companies had prequalified to participate in the auction, bid activity was subdued.

The path to decarbonization is defined by partnership and fueled by government funding. This month we examine the players, partnerships, and evolution of Hydrogen Hubs in the Gulf of Mexico.The Green Shipping Challenge, organized by the United States and Norway at COP 27 held in late 2022, brought about dozens of announcements on maritime decarbonization. Among these was a joint statement from the Blue Sky Maritime Coalition (BSMC) – a consortium of North American shipowners and…

An offshore wind hub is coming to the site of the former Avondale Shipyard in Louisiana as the region ramps up to service the growing renewable energy industry in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.New Orleans-based Gulf Wind Technology (GWT) announced Monday it is collaborating with energy supermajor Shell to establish a research, training and technology demonstration program at GWT’s facility within the Avondale Global Gateway in Jefferson Parish.The news comes after the Biden administration…

The Port of South Louisiana (Port SL) said it has reached a deal with T. Parker Host to buy the Avondale Global Gateway, a logistics hub at site of the former Avondale Shipyard.The acquisition of this 254-acre facility at mile 108 of the Mississippi River will allow the port to be more competitive in traditional international trade and focus on the new frontier of renewable energy development, Port SL said.The purchase and sale agreement was announced Thursday by Port SL CEO Paul Matthews following unanimous approval from the port commission.

The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) earlier this month awarded a $50 million federal grant to H2theFuture, a 25-organization partnership aiming to develop a new energy cluster in South Louisiana, spanning the clean hydrogen life cycle, from R&D at Louisiana universities, to an end-use project at the Port of South Louisiana.The award is one of 21 projects from around the country chosen from 529 applicants that were funded by a $1 billion appropriation from the American Rescue Plan Act…

The Port of South Louisiana officially dedicated and named its two Konecranes Gottwald Model 6 Portal Harbor Cranes for its public facility, the Globalplex Intermodal Terminal Dock along the Mississippi River. These cranes have increased the Port’s capacity for handling bulk materials and will allow for the handling of containers and project cargo.As the nation’s leading grain exporter and one of the Western Hemisphere’s largest tonnage ports, the Port of South Louisiana is a sea gateway for international trade and commerce.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) officially kicked off the project to deepen of the Mississippi River Ship Channel to 50 feet Friday, as Weeks Marine’s cutterhead dredge Captain Frank started dredging 5 miles above the Head of Passes.The USACE awarded this first contract for the Ship Channel deepening to Weeks Marine on September 3, 2020, and the Captain Frank started the deepening Friday. The USACE awarded the second cutterhead dredge contract to Manson Construction on September 8, 2020. Manson’s cutterhead, the Robert M. White, is expected to begin deepening in late September.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced that it has awarded more than $280 million in discretionary grant funding through the new Port Infrastructure Development Program. This funding is designed to improve port facilities at or near coastal seaports.The Port Infrastructure Development Program supports efforts by ports and industry stakeholders to improve facility and freight infrastructure to ensure our nation’s freight transportation needs, present and future, are met.

The U.S. Coast Guard and local agencies are searching for three crew members missing following a collision between two towing vessels on the Mississippi River at mile marker 123, near Luling, La., Sunday.The Coast Guard said its watchstanders in New Orleans were alerted at 5:37 a.m. on Sunday that towing vessels RC Creppel and Cooperative Spirit had collided and that four members of the RC Creppel were missing.The Cooperative Spirit was reportedly transiting upbound on the river when it entered a barge fleeting area and allied with barges before colliding with the towing vessel RC Creppel, causing the RC Creppel to sink and barges to…

The Mississippi River Ship Channel could be the first port complex on the Gulf Coast to reach a depth of 50 feet now that the Director’s Report has been signed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Elected officials and industry leaders have long worked to increase the channel’s depth to 50 feet, which is the same depth of the expanded Panama Canal.In signing the Report, Corps of Engineers Director of Civil Works James C. Dalton stated the project is “economically justified and…

Gulf of Mexico vessel builders – and their customers – adapt to a lean offshore market. After oil prices plunged in late 2014 – pressured by shale output – demand for offshore vessels in the Gulf of Mexico shrank, day rates for boats fell and non-working units were idled. This year, several GoM boat builders filed for Chapter 11, or voluntary bankruptcy, while others consolidated. The most diversified companies kept their heads above water. Today, the outlook's a bit brighter. Crude oil prices hit bottom early last year. Tidewater Inc.

Metal Shark is a leading shipbuilder specializing in the design and production of boats and ships for military, law enforcement, fire rescue, and a wide spectrum of commercial applications. At its facilities in Franklin and Jeanerette, Louisiana, Metal Shark manufactures vessels in aluminum, steel, and fiberglass. In addition to the diverse lineup of models designed by its in-house team of naval architects, Metal Shark has partnered with Damen Shipyards to offer the proven and globally supported range of Damen vessels up to 80 meters.

Without sacrificing utility or features, the Metal Shark 75’ Endurance and the Moose M3 models both provide multi-missioned platforms for the cash-strapped municipal sector. A crowded field for today’s domestic boatbuilders and a highly competitive marketplace finds builders trying to position their output and designs to a place that separates them from the pack. One place to do just that is in the market for maritime security workboats, particularly when it comes to local, state and municipal buyers. Municipal and state buyers want a great deal for their declining budget dollars. In response, builders are sharpening their pencils and putting together vessels that offer not only bang for the buck…

A custom built 75-foot multipurpose port security vessel built by Louisiana-based shipbuilder Metal Shark has been delivered for the Port of South Louisiana. Based on Metal Shark’s Endurance-class catamaran design, the welded aluminum vessel is designed to support fire rescue missions, Command and Control (C2) operations and around-the-clock port security efforts. Twin Cat C-18 diesel engines in a conventional straight-shaft inboard configuration propel the 75 Endurance’s catamaran hull to cruising speeds of 25 knots while yielding a nominal operating range of over 500 miles.

The Port of New Orleans has signed on as a sponsor for the 9th annual Oilseed & Grain Trade Summit, taking place here October 7-9, 2014, at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans. The Summit is reportedly the largest annual industry event that convenes buyers, sellers and global leaders in the oilseed, protein meals, vegetable oils and feed grains sectors, and includes discussions on the challenges and opportunities of logistics and transportation in the agriculture sector. Port of New…

Swollen by weeks of heavy rain and snowmelt, the Mississippi River has been breaking high-water records that have stood since the 1920s and 1930s; it is projected to crest at Vicksburg, Mississippi, on 19 May and break the mark set there during the historic Great Flood of 1927; the crest is expected to reach New Orleans on 23 May; officials with the Port of New Orleans said the Coast Guard may close the river to ships as early as Monday, halting traffic on one of the world's busiest commercial waterways; barges headed south from the U.S.

As a result of the collaboration between the New Orleans U.S. Export Assistance Center and the United States Commercial Service in Colombia, representatives from the Port of South Louisiana and 12 other Louisiana-based companies with maritime-related ties participated in the Louisiana Trade Mission to Colombia, March 8-15, 2009. The Trade Mission group, led by U.S. Embassy Commercial Service Counselor Margaret Hanson-Muse, traveled to four Colombian cities – Bogotá, Cartagena…

Pictured is Senator Boxer. On February 14, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works conducted a legislative hearing on the Marine Vessel Emissions Reduction Act of 2007 (S. 1499). Committee Chair Barbara Boxer (D-CA) discussed the harmful air emissions from ships and the measures that would be required if her proposed legislation were enacted. Ranking Member James Inhofe (R-OK) pointed out that adoption of MARPOL Annex VI is preferable to enacting unilateral legislation.

The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) has named Gary LaGrange, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Port of New Orleans, as Chairman of the AAPA Board for 2004-2005. "Gary LaGrange is extremely well respected by his colleagues in the port industry," said AAPA President Kurt Nagle. "He was unanimously elected to be Chairman of the Board by port officials throughout the Western Hemisphere. Gary LaGrange took leadership of the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans in 2001. A native of South Louisiana, LaGrange came to New Orleans after serving as Executive Director of the Mississippi State Port Authority at Gulfport.

The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) has named Gary LaGrange, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Port of New Orleans, as Chairman of the AAPA Board for 2004-2005. "Gary LaGrange is extremely well respected by his colleagues in the port industry," said AAPA President Kurt Nagle. "He was unanimously elected to be Chairman of the Board by port officials throughout the Western Hemisphere. Gary LaGrange took leadership of the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans in 2001. A native of South Louisiana, LaGrange came to New Orleans after serving as Executive Director of the Mississippi State Port Authority at Gulfport.

From left to right: Paul Zimmermann, Director of Operations, Port of New Orleans; Jay Hardman, Executive Director, Port of Greater Baton Rouge; Bobby Scafidel, Executive Director, Port of St. Bernard; Joel Chaisson, Executive Director, Port of South Louisiana; and Urban Treuil, Port Manager, Port of Plaquemines Parish. The Port of South Louisiana dedicated its newest security vessel, the PSL Responder, among hundreds of public officials, business representatives, and other guests at Globalplex Intermodal Terminal on the Mississippi River on August 15. The ship is the third security vessel in the Port’s fleet to patrol the Mississippi River and provide security in its 54-mile port district.

Nearly $5 million in Transportation Security Administration grants to Louisiana ports on the Mississippi River includes $824,000 for risk assessments that will help local officials identify security vulnerabilities and develop plans to foil terrorism, TSA said today at a news conference of those responsible for security at the Port of South Louisiana in Reserve. Steven Froehlich, the National Manager for Stakeholder Relations, said that those mitigation plans also lay the foundation for ports to continually make improvements and to employ new security technologies. "Simply put, we are acting to protect cargo from terrorists, and to prevent suspicious cargo from entering our country," Froehlich said. Froehlich noted that several agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S.