Lake Charles Live Cam

Strategically located one half mile south of Interstate 10 on Louisiana State Highway 397 and has approximately 350 acres available for development. Jim Sudduth Parkway, a 30-foot two-lane roadway provides access to the Park from Swift Plant Road. Infrastructure improvements to the Park include road, rail spur and water and sewer lines. Public water system supplies water through a 12-inch water main.

Located adjacent to the Chennault Industrial Airpark, which has an 11,000 foot runway (one of the longest in the South). Corporate and charter jet services are available through the Airpark. Louisiana Technical College / Sowela Campus, a state sponsored regional vocational training facility, is located approximately 3 miles from the Industrial Park East. Curricula at Sowela are tailored to meet the needs of the local community and industry. Polycom-Huntsman, a Pennsylvania plastics compunding company leased approximately 11 acres at this site for a 50,000 square foot facility.

The Inbound Terminal has a 251-foot dock face extending to 335 feet with dolphins, a 35-foot depth and a deck height of 12 feet above MLW. The Light Liquid Terminal has three 100,000 gallon tanks. Shipments can be made by truck, rail, barge and vessel. Vessels and barges can be loaded at a loading rate of 650 gallons per minute. Located in Foreign Trade Zone 87, the Fournet Street Terminal is a liquid bulk terminal accessible by barge and truck with an 11-acre warehouse. 53 acres of waterfront property is available for development in Westlake.

The City Docks contains the general cargo facilities and the Lake Charles Public Grain Elevator. The City Docks is 34 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico and is connected to the Gulf by the Calcasieu Ship Channel. General cargo facilities include ten transit sheds, an open cargo berth and 11 ships berth that can accommodate 10 ships simultaneously with more than 871,000 square feet of transit sheds on the waterfront. Sheds can accomodate 100,000 tons of bagged cargo.

Berths 1-9 have a project depth of 36 feet, berths 15 and 15Bea have a 40-foot project depth. Open berth No. 8 can accommodate shipments of steel, logs, machinery, project cargo and heavy equipment. The District owns and leases 400,400 square feet of warehousing behind the waterfront. These metal warehouses have concrete floors and are accessible by rail and truck.

Located 12 miles south of Lake Charles at the intersection of the Calcasieu Ship Channel and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. 22.4 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. 200 acres of developable property on the waterfront. Project depth is 40 feet and bottom width is 400 feet. Port-owned railroad tracks from Lake Charles serve industries on the Canal. Union Pacific serves the area.

Over-the-road motor carriers offer service to the area. Crowley American Transport, Inc. operates a modern container terminal and marshaling yard located on the turning basin off the canal. American flag roll on/roll off ships and barges offer weekly service to and from Caribbean and Central American ports. The Trunkline LNG terminal and regasification facility, located on the turning basin, is one of the most technologically advanced liquefied natural gas terminals in the world. This facility is designed to receive an LNG vessel at six-day intervals. The LNG is stored in three 600,000 barrel tanks in its liquid state.

The Lake Charles Carbon facility, a division of Reynolds Metals, is located on the Canal. This facility, occupying more than 600 acres, produces calcined petroleum coke and carbon anodes. The Marine Spill Response Corporation operates an oil spill response facility on the west end of the canal.

Port cargo tonnage sets new highs

The Port of Lake Charles set new highs in cargo tonnage by breaking all previous records for cargo handling at the Port’s City Docks, Port Executive Director Glenwood W. Wiseman announced. Wiseman said the Port handled 1,077,779 tons of rice, flour, cornmeal, corn and other food products and other cargo at its City Docks in 1999. The Port handled 510,496 tons of rice in 1999, the majority of which was grown and milled in Southwest Louisiana. This cargo was a mix of commercial and food aid cargo headed for Indonesia, the Balkan region, South America, Africa and other developing countries. This cargo generated 616,400 man-hours of International Longshoremans Association (ILA) labor and had an estimated economic impact of nearly $54 million in Southwest Louisiana alone.

Wiseman said this surpasses the previous high set in 1994 when the Port handled 1,039,825 tons of general cargo at its City Docks. Through the District’s efforts to diversify its cargo base, in 1999 the District handled more containers than in all previous years combined. During the year, 15,000 TEUs moved through the Port. The District also handled a record number of railcars at its City Docks in 1999. Port officials said 7,170 railcars were unloaded at the City Docks, 759 of which were unloaded at its grain elevator.

The completion of the Port’s automated Bag House has brought additional cargo to the Port for bagging, resulting in 60,000 short tons of corn, wheat and milo being bagged at the newly completed facility since March 1999. Automated bagging is a new service being offered to the Port’s customers. The automated Bag House is part of a $147 million capital program to expand and upgrade Port infrastructure and facilities.

The Port has spent $73 million of its own funds over the last five years on this capital program. It plans to spend an additional $52 million of its own funds over the next four years. The District’s ambitious construction program includes a new 1,000 linear foot dock along Contraband Bayou, which when completed in late 2000 or early 2001, will include a 150,000 square foot transit shed and two spiralveyor cranes for automated bag handling.

This is part of a $68 million project to keep Lake Charles competitive with its neighbors to the West. A dock extension, new conveyors and a 3,200 ton per hour loading system are all part of a $22.7 million plan to upgrade the Port’s bulk handling terminal on the West Bank of the Calcasieu Ship Channel. When completed, the facility will have the capability of loading and/or unloading two ships simultaneously. Expansion of the Port’s bulk grain elevator is 85 percent completed. This $4 million project expands the capacity from 800,000 bushels to 1,035,000 bushels. “With our present trend, the total ILA man-hours and TEUs will increase in 2000,” Wiseman said.

“As we complete the two major projects in fourth quarter 2000 or first quarter 2001, our breakbulk and bulk cargo tonnage will increase.” Wiseman said the success of the Port’s marketing effort was the result of Port officials, Stevedores and longshoremen working together to make this the most competitive and efficient port in the Gulf. Plans for other future projects include construction of a container handling dock at the City Docks; construction of new backup warehouses at the City Docks and at the Industrial Park East; an open berth at the Industrial Canal and an intermodal freight station at City Docks.

Cuban diplomat visits Port of Lake Charles

Cuban First Secretary Sergio Martinez met with Port officials Tuesday, January 25 at the Port of Lake Charles to discuss Cuban trade issues. While in Louisiana, Martinez met with key business leaders to discuss the state of Cuba and future opportunities in Cuba for Louisiana businesses. Martinez is the First Secretary of the Cuban Interest Section (Embassy) in Washington, D.C.. He is the number two official at the Interest Section and reports to the Deputy Minister, who is the equivalent to an Ambassador.

His professional experience includes being a Consular Official, Cuban Interests Section, in Washington, D.C. and Political Officer in Washington, D.C. and at the Embassy in Mexico. He has served in the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, North America Division and Advisor of Foreign Relations Committee of the Cuban Parliament, performed Associate Research for the United States of the US Studies Center of Havana University and published articles about US-Cuban Relations. He earned his Bachelor Degree in International Relations at the Institute of International Relations, Havana, Cuba.

While in Lake Charles, Martinez toured Port facilities, especially the Port’s automated bag handling terminal to be used when Congress lifts sanctions against trade with Cuba. The Senate voted 70-30 to lift sanctions, but the bill failed in conference committee. Both of Louisiana’s senators, Sen. John Breaux and Sen. Mary Landrieu supported the measure. Prior to the embargo, Cuba was exporting more than 85 percent of its products to the United States. Exports include sugar, molasses, honey, nickel, fish, tobacco, medical products and fruit.

Imports include fuel, food, machinery, semi-finished goods, chemical products, consumer goods, transport equipment and raw material. Cuba is the largest of the Caribbean islands with 11.5 million people. Its economy is now growing between 5 percent to 7 percent GNP annually. The demand for food products and medical supplies for Cuba’s people is tremendous and increasing greatly due to the growth of tourism in Cuba. Cuba consumes 500,000 to 600,000 tons of rice each year with most of it being imported, Cuban officials told Port officials during several days of high level meetings with business and government leaders.

Cuban officials said they would prefer to purchase this rice from the United States because of shipping costs and because the United States produces high quality rice. Port officials also met with the President of Cuba’s 13 ports and toured port facilities. Martinez was instrumental in securing permission for port officials to make their historic trip to Cuba last June. Port officials returned from their trip feeling the climate was right to reestablish trade with this region when Congress lifts the 40-year-old ban on the sale of food and medicine shipments to this island nation. They had traveled to Cuba in hopes the trip would aid in the effort to resume a trade relationship that, prior to 1960, spanned many years with regular liner service to and from the Port of Lake Charles carrying thousands of tons of rice.

Port appoints Jordan Managing Director

Terry T. Jordan has been promoted to the position of Managing Director to oversee the Port’s tremendous construction and development program. Jordan joined the Port as deputy director/trade development in August 1998. His goal at that time was to promote the Port in non-traditional markets, to diversify the cargo base and increase tonnage. During the past year, the Port has continued its ambitious capital construction program and now has projects under construction at its City Docks, the bulk terminal and the Industrial Canal. Additional projects are being proposed for the City Docks, the Industrial Canal and the Industrial Park East.

Cargo tonnage handled at the Port’s City Docks is breaking all time records. The Port handled 175,000 tons of general cargo at its City Docks during the month of October. The newly created position of managing director will fill a need created by the Port’s massive expansion and development program. In his capacity as Managing Director, Jordan will oversee the Port’s $147 million capital construction program. He will also oversee day to day operations at the Port.

Jordan brings to the position his 35 years in the maritime industry working with the Port of Beaumont and with steamship companies. Jordan is a member of the National Defense Executive Reserve, Director of Houston Chapter of the National Defense Transportation Association and is active in many transportation organizations, including the Propeller Club and Sabine District Transportation Club, where he serves as president. Jordan was named Transportation Person of the Year for 1995-96 by the Sabine District Transportation Club. He and his wife Nedra have four children and eight grandchildren.