Larry Johnson News

Global energy and commodity group, Mercuria, and Netherlands-based ÈTA Shipping have established a joint venture for the construction of six diesel-electric shortsea general cargo vessels with the option for another 10.The vessels will be built by Taizhou Sanfu Ship Engineering in China and will be owned by Mare Balticum BV, a subsidiary of Mercuria, with ÈTA Shipping acting as a minority shareholder. The maiden voyage of the first vessel is planned for the second quarter of 2025.ÈTA Shipping’s modular design of the ÈTA 6700 vessel involves an electric motor that powers the propeller.

The board of commissioners for the Port of Greater Baton Rouge recently elected officers for 2009. Officers elected include Alvin Dragg, Ascension, president; Raymond Loup, West Baton Rouge, vice president; Jerald Juneau, East Baton Rouge, treasurer; and Larry Johnson, West Baton Rouge, secretary. Dragg, who was elected president, represents Ascension Parish on the board of commissioners and has served two terms as president previously over the past two decades. He is a life-long resident of Gonzales and is a former Entergy Corporation executive.