Jefferson County News

A 300-acre property along the Mississippi River in Herculaneum, Missouri recently received Port District zoning making way for redevelopment as an intermodal transportation hub and industrial park.Located on the shipping lanes of the Mississippi River, the site has been utilized since the 1700s as a port. With its easy access for barge loading and offloading and the site’s proximity to early lead mines in adjacent Washington County, under early French ownership the port was utilized to ship lead cannonballs and shot to Europe to support Napolean’s army.

Energy Transfer LP has entered into a non-binding Heads of Agreement (HOA) with TotalEnergies related to term crude oil offtake from its proposed Blue Marlin Offshore Port for 4 million barrels per month. The HOA is subject to the negotiation and execution of definitive agreements and the satisfaction of other conditions, including Energy Transfer taking a final investment decision on the project, expected to be developed in the Gulf of Mexico, offshore Cameron Parish, Louisiana…

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) awarded nearly $12 million in grants to eight marine highway projects across the nation under the United States Marine Highway Program (USMHP). The funding will improve the movement of goods along our navigable waterways and expand existing waterborne freight services in Alaska, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin, which will strengthen supply chains and ultimately cut costs for consumers.“Our country has always relied on American waterways to get vital goods where they need to go,” said U.S.

Four mariners were rescued in dramatic fashion from a tugboat that was sinking in Sabine Pass, Texas, on Friday.The U.S. Coast Guard said its watchstanders at Sector Houston-Galveston command center were notified at 5:38 a.m. that the crew of the 71-foot tug Sea Cypress hailed mayday on VHF-FM channel 13 and reported they were capsizing while moored near the mouth of the Sabine Pass channel.Watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast and directed the launch of…

The U.S. Coast Guard on Tuesday said it has suspended its search for a missing tugboat crew member near Sabine, Texas.Emergency response crews had been searching for the mariner since watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston command center received a notification at 6:10 a.m. Monday stating that a 35-year-old male had gone missing from the tugboat Smith Invader.The crew member was last seen at 10 p.m. Sunday and was noticed missing after a crew boat was supposed to…

Emergency response crews are searching for a tugboat crew member that has gone missing near Sabine, Texas, Monday.U.S. Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston command center watchstanders received a notification at 6:10 a.m. from the tugboat Smith Invader stating a crew member was last seen at 10 p.m. Sunday and was noticed missing after a crew boat was supposed to transfer him off the vessel at 6 a.m. Monday. The missing mariner is a 35-year-old white male last seen wearing a white shirt and black pants.Watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast and directed the launch of a Coast Guard Station Sabine 29-foot Response Boat…

Oil major Chevron has closed the transaction to enter a U.S. Gulf of Mexico carbon capture and storage joint venture with Talos Energy and Carbonvert.The companies on Tuesday announced the execution of definitive documentation and closing of the expanded joint venture to develop the Bayou Bend CCS offshore carbon capture and sequestration hub, effective May 1, 2022.Under the terms of the transaction, Chevron has acquired a 50 percent stake in the expanded Bayou Bend CCS joint venture for a gross consideration of $50 million to Talos and Carbonvert…

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued nine people Thursday from a burning jack-up drilling rig near Sabine Pass, Texas.Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston watchstanders received a notification at 12:51 p.m. from the dredging vessel Ohio that the Pride Wisconsin offshore drilling rig was on fire in Sabine Pass with nine people aboard.Watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast and launched a Coast Guard Station Sabine Pass 45-foot Response Boat–Medium crew and an Air Station Houston MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew to assist.

Key stakeholders behind the efforts to launch innovative container-on-vessel (COV) service to the Midwest on Firday announced that Hawtex Development Corporation is signing on as the lead developer for a new COV port facility in Jefferson County, Mo. to be developed in collaboration with Fred Weber/Riverview Commerce Park LLC and integrating a 300+ acre adjacent parcel owned by The Doe Run Company. The new port will be a critical link on the new, all-water, north-south trade lane connecting the Midwest and the St. Louis region to the lower Mississippi River and on to worldwide destinations.

Shipbuilder Metal Shark reports it has seen increased business from law enforcement agencies, with 20 new law enforcement customers recently added and more than 35 welded aluminum law enforcement vessels either recently delivered or currently in production.Among its new builds, Metal Shark is producing five custom 23-foot Relentless center console patrol boats for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, while continuing to deliver 26-foot and 28-foot Relentless center console…

North American energy infrastructure company Sempra Energy and Saudi Aramco's Aramco Services Company, signed an Interim Project Participation Agreement for the Port Arthur LNG export project under development in Jefferson County, Texas.According to a press release, the IPPA represents another milestone for both companies after having signed a heads of agreement in May last year for the purchase of 5 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and a 25% equity investment in the Port Arthur LNG project.Jeffrey W. Martin, chairman and CEO of Sempra Energy said:"Today's announcement is a reflection of the growing alignment between our companies' interest in the overall success of the Port Arthur LNG project.

Missouri Port Authorities Team Up To Advance Plan For Statewide Initiative That Focuses On Innovative Inland Waterway Container-On-Vessel Freight Service.Missouri Governor Michael Parson visited the Mississippi River town of Herculaneum on August 12 to find out more about statewide efforts to deliver a new option to transport freight along the inland waterways and what role an innovative waterway vessel could play in moving larger volumes of goods and commodities along both the Mississippi River and Missouri River and their tributaries.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the signing of a long-term order authorizing the export of domestically produced liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Sempra Energy’s Port Arthur LNG export project to be built in Port Arthur, Texas. The U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry signed the authorization allowing Port Arthur LNG to export approximately 13.5 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) of LNG to countries that do not have a free-trade agreement (FTA) with the U.S. during the first U.S.-EU Energy Council High-Level Energy Forum in Brussels, Belgium."I am pleased to announce the order signed today authorizing Port Arthur LNG to export up to 1.91 billion cubic feet per day of LNG, to any country that does not have an FTA with the United States," said Perry.

Poland's state-owned gas company Polish Oil & Gas Company (PGNiG) and Port Arthur LNG, LLC, a subsidiary of Sempra Energy, have entered into a definitive 20-year sale-and-purchase agreement for liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Port Arthur LNG liquefaction-export facility under development in Jefferson County, Texas. The agreement defines basic terms and conditions of a 20-year contract to be finalized between the parties for the sales and purchase of two million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) of LNG, which equals about 2.7 billion cubic meters (bcm) per year of natural gas following regasification."This agreement is an important milestone as Sempra Energy pursues its long-term goal of exporting 45 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) of North American LNG…

Innovative waterway concept vessel could deliver transportation savings for shippers on the Mississippi River. Plans to transport freight via innovative waterway vessels that backers say will revolutionize the inland waterway system and provide significant transportation cost savings for shippers, especially those accessing the Midwest by utilizing the Mississippi River and its tributaries, are underway, according to Sal Litrico, CEO for American Patriot Container Transport, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Patriot Holdings LLC.Litrico presented information about Container on Vessel (COV) innovations at two St. Louis Regional Freightway Industry Forums in late August in St.

St. Louis Regional Freightway, Port of Plaquemines and St. Louis Regional Ports Sign Agreement to Foster Economic Growth on the Mississippi River. The pact will help support development of a new transportation link for cargo to move along the Mississippi River. The St. Louis Regional Freightway, Plaquemines Port Harbor & Terminal District located in the State of Louisiana and four ports in the St. Understanding (MOU) to establish and grow an alliance to generate new business by promoting international and inland trade routes at strategic locations along the Mississippi River. The agreement, which represents a five-year commitment, calls for joint marketing initiatives and exchange of data to further those goals. The agreement embodies the St.

The U.S. Coast Guard is coordinating search efforts for a missing man after an explosion on an oil platform in Lake Pontchartrain near Kenner, La., Sunday evening. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report from a witness at approximately 8 p.m. of an oil platform explosion. The cause of the incident is unknown. It was reported by one of the platform workers that eight people were aboard at the time of the explosion, and one person did not make it to shore. Of the seven people who made it to shore, six were taken to the hospital. The Coast Guard and partner agencies continue to search for the missing man. Following the initial report…

The U.S. Department of Energy announced that it has signed an order authorizing Golden Pass Products LLC to export domestically produced liquefied natural gas (LNG) to countries that do not have a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States. Golden Pass is authorized to export LNG up to the equivalent of 2.21 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas to any non-FTA country not prohibited by U.S. law or policy from the Golden Pass Terminal near Sabine Pass, in Jefferson County, Texas. With the dramatic increase in domestic natural gas production, the U.S.

Sailing Seaway Clayton presented by Davidson Auto Group and Lake Ontario Realty announced that American MetalCraft Marine of Clayton, New York has been named title sponsor of Seaway Day on Saturday, June 18. American MetalCraft Marine Seaway Day will feature tall ship Lynx, along with local vessels on display including tugboat Bowditch and former military landing vessels Thors Hammer and Maple Grove. The day will be capped off with a live performance by Bad Husbands Club at 7 p.m. in Frink Park.

UPDATE: U.S. Coast Guard responding to vessel aground in St. The U.S. Coast Guard reports it is continuing its response Tuesday to a 621-foot bulk carrier which ran aground in the vicinity of Wellesley Island in the St. Lawrence River, New York, Monday while transiting inbound from the St. Lawrence Seaway to the Port of Toronto. The Bahamian-flagged motor vessel Juno, carrying a load of sugar, is aground and taking on water in one of the forward ballast tanks, however, these tanks were empty prior to the grounding, and there has been no report of pollution.

Vessel previously grounded in St. Lawrence Seaway refloated, navigational channel open. The vessel ran hard aground after suffering a steering casualty, and at this time there is no pollution reported. The motor vessel Juno, a 621-foot bulk carrier which ran agound in the vicinity of Wellesley Island in the St. Lawrence River, New York, was refloated about 7 a.m. Wednesday and is now safely anchored at Mason Point. At 8 a.m. the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation re-opened the American Narrows to full navigation. The Bahamian-flagged motor vessel Juno, carrying a load of sugar, ran aground Monday reportedly due to a loss of steering and took on water in one of the forward ballast tanks…

The Coast Guard, Port Arthur Fire Department and Jefferson County Sheriff's Department are searching for a 56-year-old man after a collision occurred between the tug and barge Father Seelos and the missing man's pleasure craft about 500 feet west of Goat Island in Sabine Lake, Sunday. Missing is John Tran of Bridge City, Texas. The captain of tug Father Seelos contacted Vessel Traffic Service Port Arthur at approximately 2:30 p.m. notifying them of the collision. Coast Guard crewmembers are currently searching for the man aboard a MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Houston…

The Coast Guard and Washington State Department of Ecology are responding to a report a of 65-foot pleasure craft aground near Pleasant Harbor in Brinnon, Washington, Sunday morning. There is reportedly up to 500 gallons of diesel fuel aboard the vessel and an unrecoverable sheen was reported to be visible on the water. Responders are working with the owner to deploy containment boom around the vessel and develop plans to remove the fuel aboard. Jefferson County dispatch notified watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound that the 65-foot pleasure craft Avalon was aground in Pleasant Harbor at 2:30 a.m. The vessel was under tow by a 14-foot skiff at the time of incident. All four people involved departed the 65-foot vessel and made it ashore at Pleasant Harbor State Park in the skiff.