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Proactive in Bayou Country
Partnership 'Proving Essential' in Louisiana
"Our partnership
with the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
will promote environmentally conscientious and measurable continuous improvements
to our Port's waterways management and customer-satisfaction efforts,"
said Terry Jordan, executive director of Louisiana's Lake Charles Harbor
and Terminal District (Port of Lake Charles). "As the Port of Lake Charles
moves forward, partnering with NOAA is proving to be essential."
As a significant player among major Gulf Coast ports, the
Port of Lake Charles operates the Calcasieu River Waterway. Over 50 million
tons of cargo, generating nearly $9.5 billion for Louisiana's economy
annually, is transported through this waterway. NOAA's work is critical
to advancing this effort in many areas -- charting and mapping, stewardship
in Coastal Zone Management and other programs, and development of new
tools supporting navigation safety, security and efficiency.
You see a growing coastal community in which the Port and NOAA and other
agencies, including the Parishes, are working closely with mariners, shippers,
property owners and many others to improve safety, protect the environment
and give coastal communities like Lake Charles and Calcasieu and Cameron
Parishes improved service and interaction. The partnership is boosting
Calcasieu River waterway management, navigation, services expansion initiatives,
and other projects.
Working with regional and local NOAA personnel, the Port of Lake Charles
anticipates opportunities to deploy NOAA's Physical Oceanographic Real-Time
(PORTS) System, electronic charting capabilities, and other state-of-the-art
technological innovations to better ensure safe and efficient vessel port
calls.
Tim Osborn, (left) of NOAA, reviewing NOAA's new Print-on-Demand charts
with Terry Jordan, executive director of the Port of Lake Charles. As
the nation's official charts of coastal and offshore waters, these computerized
up-to-date charts are key to safe navigation.
The strategic importance of the Port of Lake Charles demands environmentally
sound plans to accommodate business expansion and to ensure Calcasieu
River waterway efficiency. Among several key initiatives, employing NOAA's
available technologies to monitor channel parameters, including salinity,
will benefit both customers and constituents.
Through extraordinary cooperation, NOAA and the Port of Lake Charles have
joined with the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury in an effort to build an
eight-acre "flagship" sports fishing park. Plans include the construction
of a hard-surfaced, three-lane boat launch with vehicle parking and boat
trailer parking areas. In addition, there are plans for support facilities,
including a shop offering food, fuel, and bait; an open pavilion and observatory;
picnic pavilions; and a public fishing pier. The Port will donate land
for the park and the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury will construct the facility
and ensure future maintenance. Funding assistance for the boat launch
has been secured through NOAA's Coastal Impact Assistance Program and
by the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury's application for supplemental funding
through the Wallop-Breaux Sportfish Restoration Program, designed to support
the resources that will make this a model facility.
"We're working closely with NOAA, our customers and our constituents to
make it all happen, and to make it happen right," Terry Jordan said.
Photos courtesy of Port of Lake Charles
The Port of Lake Charles operates Louisiana's Calcasieu River
waterway, located about 180 miles west of New Orleans. With 68
miles of dredged channel, this waterway is one of the nation's
longest.
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Cargo ships, employing NOAA navigational charts, boost
Louisiana's annual economy by nearly $9.5 billion. NOAA's work
with large and small ports is key to supporting the growth of
these essential facilities.
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Loading facilities make the Port of Lake Charles a major
player in the Gulf of Mexico. NOAA works closely with U.S. ports
to build a marine transportation system that protects the environment
and supports the nation's economy.
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Spiralveyor-equipped ship loaders, averaging 200 tons per
hour, are part of the port's automated bag-handling system. The
ship loaders function as conveyors, but instead of a straight
line they run in a spiral.
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By
Captain Jim Robinson (USCG) (retired), Port of Lake Charles; and
Tod Schattgen, Alan Bunn and Tim Osborn, of NOAA.
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