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Ports
- What is the status of the Port of New Orleans and other ports in Louisiana impacted by Hurricane Katrina?
- I’ve heard there are oil spills in the parishes to the east and southeast of New Orleans. Is this true?
- What harbors/marinas/boat ramps are currently open in coastal Louisiana and how do I contact them?
- Are there other areas of coastal Louisiana that are highly vulnerable to hurricanes?
- What is the status of the Port of Lake Charles and other ports in Louisiana impacted by Hurricane Rita?
What is the status of the Port of New Orleans and other ports in Louisiana impacted by Hurricane Katrina?
Of the six deepwater ports located in Louisiana, three suffered extensive damage (New Orleans, Plaquemines and St. Bernard) during Hurricane Katrina, but only Plaquemines is still not operating at this time.
The Port of New Orleans resumed limited operations shortly after Hurricane Katrina, barging commercial steel to Alabama and opening the Napoleon and Louisiana Avenue Container Terminal on Sept. 14. Approximately 70 percent of its facilities are operational and 85 percent of the port’s workers have returned. The port handles 30 ships a day loaded with imports, slightly more than the 27 ships daily pre-Katrina. The Port of New Orleans hotline, (866) 476-7866, provides updated information about access to the port area. Additional information, along with current and archived news on the port is available at http://www.portno.com/.
The Port of South Louisiana, the nation’s largest port by tonnage and essential to the nation’s agriculture exports, suffered only minor structural damage. The port is operating near full capacity and is 100 percent operational at the General Cargo Dock, the Bulk Dock and the Globalplex Intermodal Terminal. Associated Terminals has resumed stevedoring operations and has worked vessels and barges at the facility. Of the 12 grain transit facilities located throughout the state, only Harvest States in South Plaquemines Parish suffered extensive damage. All grain terminals, chemical facilities, transfer facilities and the following refineries – Motiva-Convent, Motiva-Norco, Valero and Marathon – are operational. Overall, the port experienced only minor infrastructure and structural damage from Hurricane Katrina. Moderate additional structural damage was experienced during Hurricane Rita on Sept. 24. Officials with the Port of South Louisiana have assessed the damage at approximately $2 million and continue to establish suitable living arrangements for workers supporting the maritime industry.
Port Fourchon suffered both wind and water damage during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, but only minor structural damage. Louisiana Highway 1 (LA 1) flooded and there were additional power outages. Port Fourchon is currently operating at 90 percent capacity. The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) continues to unload supertankers and is near full operability. NOAA survey work in the Port Fourchon area and surrounding coastal areas will commence in the near future. Preliminary recovery estimates for damage caused by Katrina exceed $7 million for public port facilities.
The Plaquemines Port, Harbor & Terminal District facilities suffered substantial damage. Initial contact with port manager Urban Treuil was made on Oct. 29. Currently, the National Guard is assisting parish officials in assessing damage to infrastructure. A roadblock allowing only parish residents to enter south Plaquemines is located near the St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Port Sulphur. Anyone wanting to go below this point is required to have a permit from the President or Sheriff's Office. Plaquemines Parish Damage Photos may be viewed online.
The St. Bernard Port, Harbor & Terminal District sustained a great deal of wind and water damage. The port is still being used as a staging area for disaster operations in St. Bernard Parish, with 1,300 out-of-state volunteers camped on the grounds. As of Sept. 19, Associated Terminals had recommenced cargo operations at the Chalmette slip facility, transloading railroad cars and rail car wheel assemblies. Truck access has been established, and shippers are currently arranging delivery for lumber, steel products and other commodities. Partial operations resumed once the parish reopened and Hurricane Rita passed.
(Thomas Hymel, Louisiana Sea Grant College Program/LSU AgCenter and Justin Farrell, Louisiana Sea Grant College Program) 3-31-06
I’ve heard there are oil spills in the parishes to the east and southeast of New Orleans. Is this true?
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina there have been at least 10 major to medium oil spills reported (see table below), with the total volume spilled at 8 million gallons. These incidents resulted in the discharge of oil along the Mississippi River from Chalmette to Venice and west to Port Fourchon. Additionally, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) estimates that approximately 134 minor spills of less than 10,000 gallons have occurred and are being coordinated at this time. The Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office (LOSCO) reported that 3.1 million gallons have been recovered, and 3.7 million gallons have evaporated. By comparison, in America's largest oil spill, the Exxon Valdez dumped 11 million gallons into Alaska's Prince William Sound.
Facility, Location
(gallons)
(barrels)Murphy Oil, Meraux, La. Chevron Empire Terminal, Buras, La. Bass Enterprises, Cox Bay, La. Shell, Pilottown, La. Dynegy, Venice, La. Sundown Energy West, Potash, La. Sundown Energy East, Potash, La. Bass Enterprises, Point a la Hache, La. Shell Pipeline Oil LP, Nairn, La. Chevron, Port Fourchon, La. TOTAL On Nov. 5, 2005, the USCG announced that cleanup efforts had finished at the Shell-Pilottown tank farm. The Pilottown site, where approximately 1.07 million gallons escaped from damaged tanks and pipelines, is the first to complete clean-up. Approximately 950,000 gallons were held in secondary containment and recovered, with the remaining oil either evaporating or dispersing naturally. Clean-up continues at the following sites: Chevron Empire Terminal in Buras; Sundown East and Sundown West, both in Potash; Bass Enterprises Production Co. Cox Bay facility at mile marker 35 on the Mississippi River; Bass Enterprises Production Co. in Pointe a la Hache; Dynegy Venice in Venice.; Murphy Oil in Meraux; and Shell Nairn in Port Sulphur.
The 420,000-gallon spill in Meraux has attracted the most attention, but the largest spill was in the coastal marshes near Empire from a Bass enterprises facility, where two partially-filled storage tanks, both 16 feet high and 290 feet across, were smashed by 28 feet of Katrina flood water and moved 300 feet.
The storm surge from Hurricane Rita damaged containment booms and re-oriented oil spilt during Katrina but resulted in no additional major spills. As of Nov. 15, 2005, no additional major pollution incidents resulted from Hurricane Rita were reported. A few low lying areas remain flooded and assessments were still pending as of Sept. 28, 2005. The USCG reported one medium spill where a 130,000 gallon capacity diesel tank was moved three miles from its original position by Hurricane Rita, resulting in a leak of less than 30,000 gallons.
Additional Sources:
NOAA Office of Response and Restoration’s Incident News
Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office (LOSCO)(Don Davis, Louisiana Applied Oil Spill Research And Development Program and Justin Farrell, Louisiana Sea Grant College Program)) 4-6-06
What harbors/marinas/boat ramps are currently open in coastal Louisiana and how do I contact them?
Many of the places that Louisiana boaters and anglers rely on for access to our coastal waters have been temporarily or permanently closed because of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The southeastern and southwestern portions of the coast have been particularly hard hit, with very few harbors, marinas and private boat ramps still operating. A comprehensive listing of coastal marina facilities, services and supplies was developed by Louisiana Sea Grant in 2005. This resource provides contact information that should prove useful as anglers and boaters weigh their limited options for coastal access after these hurricanes. http://www.seagrantfish.lsu.edu/resources/handbookinfo.htm#marinadirectory
(Rex Caffey, Louisiana Sea Grant College Program/LSU AgCenter) 10-7-05
Are there other areas of coastal Louisiana that are highly vulnerable to hurricanes?
As seen recently, the entire Louisiana coastline - from New Orleans to Cameron - is highly susceptible to hurricanes. Although Louisiana’s coastal marshes and barrier islands provide a front line of defense against storm surge, 90 percent of these wetlands are at or below sea level elevation. Furthermore, Louisiana is historically prone to major storm events. According to the LSU Hurricane Center, the central Louisiana coast has experienced landfall of more major hurricanes (Category 3 and above) than anywhere in the continental U.S. over the past century.
One area that escaped major damage from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita was Port Fourchon in lower Lafourche Parish. The national significance of this commercial port has grown rapidly in recent years. With the advent of Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) drilling technology, Port Fourchon has grown from two to 160 companies in the past two decades. Most of that growth has occurred since 1995 when the port was less than a third of its current size.
A direct hit on Port Fourchon by a major hurricane could have serious consequences to the U.S. domestic energy sector. Port Fourchon serves as the inter-modal support hub for 75 percent of Gulf of Mexico drilling, 16 percent of U.S. domestic oil and gas production and is the nation’s only offshore oil terminal, the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP). The vulnerability of Port Fourchon has been widely documented and was recently the focus of the Hollywood docudrama – “Oil Storm.”
The most hurricane-vulnerable aspect of Port Fourchon is LA Highway 1. This substandard, easily-flooded road serves the port and provides the only evacuation route for a population of 35,000 residents and 6,000 offshore workers. The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) recently initiated construction of a long-awaited overhaul of LA 1. The DOTD project replaces the current road with an elevated highway that will begin at Port Fourchon and stretch 17 miles northward to higher ground. For additional information about the LA 1 Project or Port Fourchon, check out these links:
http://www.la1project.com/index.cfm
http://www.la1coalition.org/home.html
http://www.portfourchonla.com/home.asp
http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/oilstorm/main.html(Rex Caffey, Louisiana Sea Grant College Program/LSU AgCenter) 10-8-05
What is the status of the Port of Lake Charles and other ports in Louisiana impacted by Hurricane Rita?
The Port of Lake Charles experienced moderate wind damage and flooding during Hurricane Rita. Additionally, the port was without power, water, sewer and other utilities which hampered recovery efforts for approximately two weeks. Port cargos were generally not affected but structural damage to warehouse roofs, doors and siding occurred. Port officials remained at the port throughout the hurricane so they would be ready to get it running as quickly as possible in support of refineries, liquefied natural gas, agricultural industries and forest product imports. On Sept. 29, the Port of Lake Charles officials met with officials from the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Department of Transportation. The U.S. Coast Guard responded with the rapid reestablishment of navigational aids, while National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) contracted with Fugro Pelagos Inc. to expedite side scanning sonar surveys of the Calcasieu River. Additionally, the USACE assisted in channel surveys and debris removal efforts, while MARAD supplied the port with the Texas Clipper II. Because of these efforts, the Calcasieu River is unrestricted and has been open to the project depth of 40 feet since Oct. 6, 2005. The port is currently 100 percent operational.
The Port of West St. Mary, located on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GICW), experienced some water damage to port facilities and power outages. The port was inoperable until early October, as floodwater receded. Additionally, lost ballast along the main railroad and port spur made rail service inoperable for a brief period. The waterway and port are currently open and accessible.
The Port of Iberia experienced extensive flooding, and the port administrative buildings sustained both wind and water damage. In late September, a few areas of the port were closed due to unstable aluminum oxide drums made volatile by an estimated nine feet of storm surge. Businesses affected by this brief closure included: Sea Shell, Allen Processing Systems, Bayou Companies, Natco, Superior Energy Services, Universal Fabricators, Cumings Corp. and Greg Guidry Enterprises. The port is currently operational.
The Abbeville Harbor and Terminal District was among the few ports between Texas and Mobile, Ala., that had dry infrastructure after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The Port of Vermilion operated at 50 percent for one week following Hurricane Rita, but once communications and electrical power were restored in early October, the port has been 100 percent operational. The port access road was lightly flooded, yet remained passable. Only minor insurance claims are awaiting resolution at this time. The Leland Bowman locks are open and all four gates of the Freshwater Bayou Bypass locks are open. The public boat launch is awaiting repairs but remains operational.
The West Calcasieu Port, Harbor and Terminal District sustained a great deal of wind and water damage due to Hurricane Rita. Initially, the port served as a staging area for emergency operations in Calcasieu and Cameron parishes, but is presently back up and running smoothly. Devall Towing and AAA Construction are operating near full capacity and are in the process of repairing damage to port facilities.
(Justin Farrell, Louisiana Sea Grant College Program) 4-6-06
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