Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles, Louisiana is the parish seat of Calcasieu Parish in southern Louisiana, about 30 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. Lake Charles is connected to the Gulf of Mexico by means of a deep-water ship channel. With its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico and port facilities, the petrochemical industry is the mainstay economically for the parish, and recently the aerospace and gaming industries have broadened that base. Lake Charles, Louisiana is just off Interstate-10 on the shores of the Calcasieu River between Houston, TX and New Orleans, LA.
The first settlers arrived in Lake Charles, LA in 1781 and other pioneers soon followed. Captain Daniel Goos establish a lumber mill and schooner dock in 1885. Captain Goos send his schooner down the Calcasieu River, establishing a profitable trade with Texas and Mexican ports. Lake Charles is bordered by the Gulf of Mexico to the south, great forests to the north and the Atchafalaya Basin Swamp on the east.
The 203-square-mile Port of Lake Charles is the eleventh-largest seaport in the United States, accommodating 5 million tons of cargo annually at its public facilities which include two marine terminals, the City Docks, Bulk Terminal No. 1, and also 2 industrial parks: Industrial Canal and Industrial Park East. The principal cargoes moving through the Port's terminals are bagged rice, flour and other food products, forest products, aluminum, petroleum coke and other petroleum products.
Major Port tenants involved in the maritime industry include: Louisiana Pigment, Alcoa, and PPG, Privately owned terminals are held by the CITGO facility, Calcasieu Refining, Grace Davison and Dunham Price.. The value of economic activity from the import and export of cargo via the Port of Lake Charles is measured at nearly $3.4 billion annually.
According to a 2000 Port Risk Assessment of Port of Lake Charles, LA, traffic density contributes the greatest amount of risk to the waterway, followed by volume of fishing and pleasure craft. High-risk deep draft vessels contribute a slightly higher traffic number than shallow draft vessels. As to the waterway configuration, waterway complexity contributes the most risk followed by visibility obstructions. Since 40 percent of traffic is petroleum vessels and 80 percent of tonnage is petroleum cargo, mandatory double hulls on ships were recommended. With seasonal boaters' lack of knowledge of waterways and the tight job-market for OSV fleet tug and tow captains, there is an increasing trend toward water accidents.
In early 2010, the United States Agency for International Development started booking shipments through the Port of Lake Charles for disaster relief to Haiti with 11,000 tons of rice and other grains arriving at the port.
Government officials, shippers and ocean carriers are offering the Port facilities as a distribution point for aid into Haiti, and these cargoes have been put on the fast track to ship through Lake Charles.
Lake Charles has many assets in addition to maritime industry. Lake Charles, Louisiana is known as the “Festival Capital of Louisiana” as it holds over 75 festivals and fairs annually. Lake Charles offers glitzy casinos, Cajun culinary dining, and year-round fishing and hunting that are second to none. Outdoor activities can be enjoyed year-round, as the climate is humid and sub-tropical with a strong maritime character. Spring and fall are pleasant, the summers warm and humid and the snow in wintertime is negligible.
