Industry

Industrial facilities line the waterfronts within the Port District. Tugs, tow boats, barges and small ships transit the waterways day and night delivering a variety of commodities to and from the Inland River System and the Gulf of America.The area is home to a hardworking and innovative industrial base serving as a hub for marine transportation and industrial and commercial activities. A community that was once dependent on offshore drilling as a way of life has evolved into so much more. Today our channel supports our national defense and economic prosperity. Industry supports a variety of energy activities, aerospace activities, and National Defense and U. S. Government Contracts. There are entrepreneurs who have started and successfully grown their businesses at the port, some who are now international companies, all who can be credited with innovation and economic diversification.Industry provides manufacturing, specialty steel fabrication, ship building and repair, vessel conversions, commercial recycling, and coastal restoration project support.Many of these projects provide for the safety and economic security of our nation:

 

• Construction of components for LNG facilities on the Mississippi and Calcasieu Rivers
• Fabrication of offshore mooring piles and manufacture and operation of remotely operated vehicles used in oil and gas and wind energy projects
• Construction and repair of dredges that work on Corps of Engineers projects that keep our waterways open nationwide

One innovative company, a locally-owned shipyard in Morgan City, LA, known as Halimar Shipyard is responsible for the conversion of an offshore supply vessel into specialty-built dredge equipment that is effectively managing fluff in the Atchafalaya Bar Channel at a fraction of the cost of traditional dredging methods.Prior dredging strategy and budget constraints for the Atchafalaya River and Bayous Boeuf, Black and Chene (ARBBBC) Federally Authorized (20 foot deep by 400 foot wide) Project resulted in the loss of import/export business for the Port of Morgan City and was detrimental to the operation and growth of local industries. The Bar Channel (the last 18 miles to the Gulf of America from Morgan City) was subject to large infilling rates of fluid mud referred to as “fluff.” The refill rate in that area was 3 feet per month upon completion of each dredging cycle, and there was only enough funding to dredge once a year, or sometimes less frequently. Everchanging river conditions warranted continuous fluff management 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The Port of Morgan City and the Corps of Engineers, looking for a more innovative way to maintain the channel, determined that “agitation” dredging would manage fluff at a fraction of the cost of traditional dredging methods. Brice Civil Constructors expressed interest in performing this task after attending the Corps of Engineers New Orleans District Industry Day on August 25, 2017. Brice Civil Constructors is a subsidiary of the Calista Corporation, an Alaska Native Corporation.

On December 8, 2019, the Arulaq (in the Alaska Native Language Yupik, means to Agitate), a specialty-built dredge constructed at Halimar Shipyard in Morgan City, departed for the Atchafalaya River Bar Channel. When the Arulaq arrived in the channel, the channel had not been dredged for nearly five years and there were many obstacles to overcome.

The operation of specialty-built dredge equipment by Brice Civil Constructors, Inc. on the Atchafalaya River is now providing a 400 foot wide by 20 foot deep channel and proving that innovative dredging techniques can provide an efficient and cost-effective solution for channel maintenance, one that re-opened the Atchafalaya River for business.For additional information on industry in the Port District view our industry map.  Click here or on map to view the Port District/Industry map.