way to become acquainted with Louisiana s port industry. If you are interested in joining, please visit our website at

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1 NEWS FROM THE DOCKS Louisiana Ports Deliver ASSOCIATION OF LOUISIANA January 2006 Volume 7, No. 1 Message from the PAL Office Mercifully, the New Year has arrived. Many of us were thankful to see 2005 go! After all of the storm devastation, let s see if we can t make 2006 a year to grow, prosper and recover by making this state a better place to live and work. PAL is certainly trying to do its share. Joe Accardo, our Executive Director, has just returned from a trip to the Netherlands with Sen. Mary Landrieu and Gov. Kathleen Blanco. The trip was designed to give the decision makers in this state a quick look at how another country, which is below sea level, handles its water problems. Plans continue for PAL s 23 rd Annual Conference. The L Auberge du Lac in Lake Charles is a very lovely facility and we are sure to have a great conference. Registration materials will be mailed at the first of February and registration should be available on our web site at the same time. Make your hotel reservations NOW because our room block will not be held past Feb. 19 th. You will need to provide the code word SPORT in order to be given our conference rate of $79 per night. Call as soon as possible! By the way, we have a special fun activity planned for our spouses so be sure to bring yours along! You may wish to consider a sponsorship for this event. PAL will be happy to provide you with the necessary materials. Call our office at 225/ for further information. PAL continues to encourage maritime related industries to become Associate Members. Our dues are only $200 per year and membership insures your invitation to attend all of our meetings and activities. It is absolutely the best way to become acquainted with Louisiana s port industry. If you are interested in joining, please visit our website at Legislative Update Governor Blanco has announced another Special Session of the legislature. The twelve-day session will begin on February 6 th and will end no later than Feb. 17 th. The primary focus of the session will be to consolidate levee boards. Other items under consideration include: housing, limited insurance and election issues, and consolidating some portions of Orleans parish government. The Maritime Advisory Task Force will meet on January 17 th at the Port of New Orleans. That agenda includes a presentation by Roger Richard about the Port Construction and Development Priority Program and comments by Jim Bridger about the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad. The Task Force will meet again in mid February and PAL is anticipating making a presentation at that time. Corporate Member News Port of Lake Charles R. Adam McBride, Port Director for the Port of Lake Charles and Chris Sheils, General Manager, Gearbulk Inc. of Tampa, FL, are pleased to announce a new five year agreement with Gearbulk Inc. The new agreement will have positive economic benefits throughout Southwest Louisiana. This new agreement between the Lake Charles Harbor & Terminal District and Gearbulk Inc. is 3055 East Lakeshore Drive Baton Rouge, LA (225) fax (225)

2 an indication of the Port s commitment to expand the economic benefits to Southwest Louisiana, said Mr. McBride. Gearbulk is an important customer for the District and Southwest Louisiana. The Port Commissioners and staff look forward to strengthening and building on our relationship with Gearbulk Inc. and their customers. Gearbulk Inc. has shipped over 350,000 tons of forest products through the Port of Lake Charles since Due to anticipated tonnage growth, Gearbulk Inc. and the Port of Lake Charles have entered into a new five year agreement in which the Port will construct two 100,000 sq. ft. warehouses with paved concrete floors. The warehouses will be 34ft high and have a clear span of 200ft which will allow easy access and efficient mobility throughout for cargo handling. Each warehouse will be rail accessible and the total construction costs for the project are expected to be $8 million in Gearbulk Inc. is the world's largest integrated forest products carrier. In August of 2004, Gearbulk established an import forest products terminal at the Port of Lake Charles where forest products from Brazil and Argentina such as lumber, plywood, and fencing materials are imported for customers throughout the United States. Other commodities carried by Gearbulk Inc. include aluminum and soda ash. (From Left to Right: Tony Damron, Terminal Manager for Lake Charles Cargo Terminals, Kay Barnett, President of Board of Commissioners for Lake Charles Harbor & Terminal District, Chris Sheils, General Manager for Gearbulk Inc., and Mark Abraham, Vice President of Board of Commissioners for Lake Charles Harbor & Terminal District exchange a new five year agreement between Gearbulk Inc. and Lake Charles Harbor & Terminal District.) Gearbulk Inc. is an international shipping company providing high quality transportation and logistics services for various industrial sectors. The company is a leading carrier of unitized forest products and non-ferrous metals. Gearbulk Inc. operates the world's largest fleet of open hatch gantry craned (OHGC) vessels, controlling approximately 35% of the world's OHGC vessel capacity. Gearbulk s vessels are box hold vessels specifically designed and equipped to handle unitized cargoes. Gearbulk Inc. conducts operations on a worldwide basis through a network of offices located in 16 countries and using over 500 agents. Gearbulk Inc. employs approximately 270 staff in representative and branch offices. The North American headquarters is located in Tampa, Florida. Gearbulk Inc. is very pleased to have come to a five year agreement with the Port, said Mr. Sheils. This has only been possible due to the very close support we have received from the Port Director, Mr. McBride and his Operational and Engineering departments, notably Mr. Bill Rase and Mr. Jimmy McGinnis. The support of the Ports staff and of the Port Authority Commissioners has created an environment conducive for growth which is exactly what we have been looking for in the area. We are excited about both short term and longer term cargo possibilities that are expected to develop and we hope for additional warehousing to be available to support this growth. The Lake Charles Harbor and Terminal District was created by the Louisiana Legislature in The District encompasses 203 square miles in Calcasieu Parish. The Port of Lake Charles has 13 deep water ship berths, a 40ft channel, and over 1 million sq. ft. of covered storage. The District is governed by seven appointed Commissioners Port Announces Hiring of Director of Marketing and Trade Development R. Adam McBride, Port Director for the Lake Charles Harbor and Terminal District, is pleased to announce that Mr. Dan Loughney has been hired as the Port s Director of Marketing & Trade Development. Loughney brings to the Port over 30 years of port marketing and trade development experience which includes tug & barge operations, steamship line operations and marketing, and international freight forwarding and customs brokering. Loughney has spent the last 14 years in marketing, operations, and administration with deep water ports in the Pacific Northwest, and the St. Lawrence Seaway.

3 Loughney s work history includes two years as Executive Director for a port authority in upstate New York, Director of Marketing and Operations for Port of Vancouver, WA, and Vice President of Export Operations for Total Logistics Resource Inc. in Portland, OR. Projects that Loughney has brought to fruition include the movement of the Mitsubishi Aircraft Plant from Nagoya, Japan, to Wichita, Kansas, for Beech Aircraft, the development of an auto terminal for Subaru of America, and the project conception and development of an industrial park project for BreconRidge Manufacturing Solutions located in Ottawa, Canada. I am delighted to be given the opportunity here at the Port of Lake Charles. I look forward to working with Mr. McBride and the highly professional team he has assembled. This job will be challenging and I look forward to working and living here in Lake Charles. Loughney attended Lewis Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho, and has course work and practical knowledge in International Banking, International Maritime Dangerous Goods Organization, International Transportation & Documentation with U.S. Customs & the Federal Maritime Commission, and Home Land Security. Port of New Orleans First Cruise Ship After Katrina To Call On Port New Year s Eve Tourism Attractions, Museums, Restaurants, Available to Visitors The Delphin Renaissance, a 600-passenger luxury ship, was the first cruise ship to call on the Port of New Orleans in the post-katrina era when it docked December 31 at the Thalia Street Wharf alongside the Port s Administration Building. The Delphin s visit marked the return of the cruise ship industry to New Orleans, which had a $226 million annual impact on the local economy before Hurricane Katrina. The Delphin Renaissance is in the midst of an around-the-world voyage. Its passengers visited New Orleans and partook in New Year s Eve festivities before the ship sailed again January 1. The arrival of the Delphin Renaissance marks the first step in the recovery of the cruise industry in New Orleans, said Gary LaGrange, president and CEO of the Port. The cruise industry s growth created new opportunities before Hurricane Katrina and there is no reason that it shouldn t continue to create new economic opportunities as we recover from the storm. I believe the cruise lines will play a leading role in the recovery of the city s economy. The Port has also restarted construction on the Erato Street Cruise Terminal and Parking Garage. Expected to be completed in late 2006, the $37 million project includes a 90,000 square foot terminal and a 1,000 vehicle-parking garage. Cruise passenger embarkations and disembarkations grew 818 percent in the last 11 years, from about 80,000 in 1993 to 753,000 in With the Port poised to break the 1 million-passenger mark in 2006, New Orleans blossomed into one of the most popular points of embarkation for cruise ship customers. The three cruise lines with homeports in New Orleans have pledged to return. And that s good news for the Crescent City s economy. A recent study determined the cruise industry generates $226 million in direct and indirect sales annually, which supports 2,798 full and part-time jobs paying $74.1 million annually in wages in the region. The Norwegian Sun will resume its normal November to May Western Caribbean cruises from New Orleans in 2006 and Royal Caribbean will return its Grandeur of the Seas for sevennight sailings next fall, as well. Carnival Cruise Lines has scheduled its cruise ship Sensation to return to New Orleans for its four- and five-day Caribbean cruises once it completes its scheduled trips next year from Port Canaveral, Fla. The Carnival Conquest, previously homeported in New Orleans, is now operating from

4 Galveston, Texas, indefinitely. However, Carnival indicates it intends to resume sevenday cruise service from New Orleans and is exploring options for doing so as soon as possible. In the meantime, several other cruise ships are scheduled to visit New Orleans in the winter and spring of P&O s The Arcadia, a 3,000- passenger ship will undergo a passenger change in New Orleans February 9, and new passengers will arrive and sail on a new cruise February 11. Swan Hellenic Cruise Line s 600-passenger Minerva will make a port call with no changing of passengers on February 22-24, as well. As cruise passengers return to the city, many of the city s attractions are gearing up. New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau officials say hotels and motels have about 20,000 rooms open, with about 13,000 available to visitors. New Orleans welcomed 2006 with a bang, as the Crescent City Countdown Club presented the New New Orleans New Year s Eve Celebration, complete with a Gumbo Pot drop, live music and a choreographed fireworks display on the Mississippi River. Also, New Orleans Louis Armstrong International Airport will offer 70 daily departures to 24 cities accounting for 8,225 seats a day by the first part of January. Airport officials hope to reach about 50 percent of prestorm flights by Mardi Gras, which is February 28. The Mardi Gras season will act as a grand reopening of the city to tourists, with eight days of parades and revelry in Orleans Parish and a full slate of parades in neighboring Jefferson Parish. Court Grill Room, Clancy s, Franky and Johnny s and others. Famous live music venues around the city have also reopened, such as Tipitina s, House of Blues, Snug Harbor, Howlin Wolf, Maple Leaf Bar, Jimmy Buffett s Margaritaville and Mid-City Lanes Rock-n- Bowl, to name a few. Port of St. Bernard Hurricane Katrina Update St. Bernard Port Maritime Operations continue to see cargo volumes grow four months after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast region. The Port s sole terminal operator, Associated Terminals, is slowly returning to normal operations. Both Bulk and Breakbulk shipments are being worked at two midstream buoy locations and at the multiple berth Chalmette Slip. Today, port maritime operations have achieved nearly 70 percent of pre-storm levels. All port employees have returned to work and have been provided temporary housing trailers on Port Property. The port has also leased over 20 acres to F.E.M.A. and other agencies to provide area for housing, meal tents, and public assistance. Over 1,000 persons are living, working, or seeking assistance each day at the Port. The Port continues its reconstruction efforts by letting out public bids for repairs to infrastructure. Approximately 75 percent of the storm debris has been removed from port properties. Nearly 95 percent of all tenants of the port have expressed interest in returning to our intermodal business parks. Areas of the city popular with tourists, such as the French Quarter, Central Business District, Warehouse District and the Garden District had no flood damage and received only minor to moderate wind damage. Attractions, such as the Audubon Zoo, Cabildo Louisiana s State Museum, D-Day Museum, Ogden Museum of Southern Art and Besthoff Sculpture Garden are all open. To date, more than 400 New Orleans metro area restaurants have reopened. Recent notable openings include Bacco, Arnaud s, Court of Two Sisters, Emeril s, K-Paul s Louisiana Kitchen, Restaurant August, Tujague s, Windsor In addition to recovering from the affects of Hurricane Katrina the Port continues with its capital improvement program. Today we have a 40,000 ton dry-bulk storage facility under

5 construction and two projects are in the engineering phase. Both of these projects will provide additional capacity that will supplement existing maritime operations. Any port tenants or anyone needing to contact the port administration with questions may use any of the following s: Robert J. Scafidel, Ed. D. Executive Director Drew M. Heaphy Director of Administration David Jeff McClain Director of Operartions The St. Bernard Port, Harbor and Terminal District is the region s only Mississippi River Port that includes an Industrial Park and the services of a deepwater port. The Port s maritime and industrial parks encompass more than 300 acres and is located at the convergence of three major maritime corridors: the Mississippi River, the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet and the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway. More than 50 companies employing more than 1,000 workers currently operate at the port. Morgan City Port Harbor and Terminal Authority The Morgan City Harbor & Terminal District is happy to promote the Atchafalaya River and the Morgan City Port as a Safe Harbor. After three powerful hurricanes the port was successful in emerging relatively undamaged and without flooding. With over 25 miles of delta and wetlands to absorb the hurricane storm surge, the Morgan City Port was closed no less than 24 hours for Hurricanes Andrew, Katrina and Rita. The Atchafalaya River and the Morgan City Port s history as a dependable refuge for boats, businesses and people looking to have a safe harbor has made the port a magnet for the offshore oil industry and other businesses looking for a safe place to work near the coast. As a result of our Safe Harbor, companies can flourish before and after the storm events without the constant interruption of the all important supply chain and other business activity. Morgan City Harbor & Terminal District is vital to the oil and gas industry and is a great location for those businesses looking for a safe harbor which is very near the Gulf of Mexico. The growing delta south of the Morgan City Port softens the blow of a major hurricane and the river dredged sediment can be used to protect the coast line and further enhance the all important wetland buffer for our Safe Harbor. Port of Iberia Port Companies Now Hiring Five Port of Iberia companies are looking for approximately 200 workers in a variety of fields. WPS, Inc. is looking for 50+ workers including structural fitters and welders, assembly fitters and welders and vessel fitters and welders. In addition, WPS will be hiring mechanical designers and blaster painters. All of the work is here at the Port and it s all indoors, an advantage because the work continues regardless of the weather, said WPS s Willie Booty. Applicants can apply online at or they can apply in person by going to the HR department at 1110 Unifab Road. Applications are being taken Monday through Friday from 8:00-11:30 AM and 1:00-3:00 in the afternoon. Omega Natchiq, Inc. is looking for 30 workers to supplement its current staff of approximately 700. The company is hiring electricians and instrument fitters to work both offshore and onshore. In addition we need offshore pipe welders, crane operators and pipe fitters, said Andrea Hoover. Applicants may apply by mail or in person at the company office, 4418 Pesson Road, Port of Iberia, LA, Marine Industrial Fabrication, Inc. is hiring 10 fitter welders to work in the company s Port facility. Company executive Eugene Peltier said, Applicants can apply in person or mail their resumes to the company at 4912 Marina Road, Port of Iberia, LA, Mid-Fab Services, LLC is looking for approximately 40 new employees. We want first class fitters and 6 GR welders to work at our Port facility, said Mike Arton. Mid-Fab is

6 accepting applications at its personnel department located at 6005 Port Road, at the Port of Iberia. Dynamic Industries, Inc. is hiring more than 50 new employees. The company is looking for certified pipe fitters and welders. Applicants may apply on line at or in person at the company s office which is located at 3508 Curtis Lane, Port of Iberia, LA, Port is Back in Business After suffering water damage in the surge caused by Hurricane Rita, the Port of Iberia is getting back to business. The port s administrative office was moved to a portable building placed in their parking lot. Repairs to the office took several months. The Port is now pleased to state they have moved back into their office building. Damages to the port s land and buildings were extensive as were damages to private companies located at the port. We are assisting port companies with information about disaster aid and reconstruction, said Roy Pontiff, Executive Director. Despite the damage, many of the port s tenants are up and running. Some fabricators have already shipped out major projects. Even Hurricane Rita can t stop the progress at the Port of Iberia. Port of South Louisiana The Port of South Louisiana, America s Largest Tonnage Port, is on pace to meet or exceed its total cargo tonnage for 2004 (248,745,280 short tons), in spite of the two major hurricanes that ravaged parts of southeastern Louisiana last summer. Current statistics indicate that from October 2004 through September 2005, there was no significant change in total cargo tonnage (244,049,350 short tons); as compared to (244,110,985 short tons). The port s top two commodities in that period included Petrochemicals (up 6% to 45.3 million short tons) and Soybeans (up 25% to 32.8 million short tons). Shipments of other key commodities, such as Concrete (up 84% to 5.9 million short tons) and Chemicals/Fertilizers (up 2% to 19.9 million short tons), increased as a result of the higher worldwide demand for these products. Commodities such as Soybean and Maize have decreased slightly however, due to low water conditions that have slowed barge movements down to the Lower Mississippi River in the past year. The Port of South Louisiana ranks fourth (4 th ) in the world in total tonnage and handles approximately 60% of all U.S. grain shipments via 4,000 vessel calls and 55,000 barge movements annually. Complete statistical information for the port is available online at Fortunately, the Port of South Louisiana and partner industries within its 54-mile district between the port s of New Orleans and Baton Rouge sustained minimal damage from Hurricane s Katrina and Rita, due to its strategic inland location. The port s region extends from Mississippi River Mile 114 to168 and includes the parishes of St. Charles, St. John, and St. James. Executive Director Joel T. Chaisson notes, the port s Emergency Command Center and its dedicated staff remained on duty throughout both storms providing critical services such as search & rescue and damage assessment patrols for grain elevators and refineries along the river. Resident industries within the port include Shell, Motiva, Monsanto, Dow, DuPont, ADM, Bungee, and Cargill, just to name a few. The port s emergency response crew and vessels also assisted in a waterfront fire at the Port of New Orleans in Katrina s aftermath. The 49 PSV Accardo, the most recent addition to the emergency fleet, was instrumental in controlling the blaze due to its rapid response time and highly trained personnel on board, according to Port of South Louisiana Marine Operations Director Mitch Smith. The PSV Accardo was again used to ferry supplies and deputies to Chalmette Slip, operated by Associated Terminals (AT) at the Port of St. Bernard (PSB). AT temporarily moved its PSB operations to the Port of South Louisiana, where it is now the exclusive operator at Globalplex Intermodal Terminal in Reserve, Louisiana. Associated Terminals personnel provided emergency assistance in the form of housing, clothing, and transportation for more than 100 employees, according to AT President David

7 Fennelly. Despite our endless efforts to secure housing for all employees, we could not have accomplished our goal without the help of the Rev. Chris Garret and Global Maritime Ministries, which assisted in accommodating 30 of our employees adjacent to our office on the River Road in Reserve, noted Fennelly. The Port of South Louisiana continues to play a pivotal role in the relocation of temporary and permanent business tenants. Most notably, the port was able to temporarily accommodate the Red Cross relief effort in a 185,000 s.f. warehouse at Globalplex. The building, located at the northern end of the 335-acre industrial park, was recently purchased and will eventually be leased to a long-term tenant. NATCO - Food Service Merchants, recently relocated to Globalplex in an adjacent 84,000 s.f. building at the northern end of the industrial park. The company operates a meat processing and distribution facility that has been in business since NATCO processes various types of meat, from beef to poultry, and sells the products wholesale to restaurants and other corporate customers throughout the region. The company had outgrown its plant in the Lower Garden District of New Orleans, according to owner John Lalla. NATCO has expanded many times over the past 80 years and the company s steady growth prompted us to look region-wide for a new location. Globalplex offers the space needed and the ideal shipping location required for our business to expand, Lalla commented. The company will employ approximately 70 full-time workers. Chaisson believes that the port has the essential infrastructure and prime acreage to attract businesses looking to relocate to the area. The Port of South Louisiana currently has approximately 33 prime industrial sites available in our tri-parish district and we are open for business as usual. We also have the ability to accommodate various industries by providing deep-draft dock access and storage facilities for bulk, break-bulk, neo-bulk and containerized cargo by vessel, barge, truck, or rail at Globalplex. The terminal s infrastructure includes two (2) deep-draft docks that were designed to handle a variety of bulk and break-bulk cargoes. The General Cargo Dock is 680 x 204 and is outfitted with two (2) Manitowoc 2250 railmounted gantry cranes for heavy shipments. The 570 x 44 Bulk Dock is 570 x 44, operated by Kinder-Morgan, includes a covered conveyer system for efficient cargo flow. The facility also contains two (2) 50,000 ton storage domes equipped with a Carlsen screw-type unloader to handle bulk cement. AT operates several storage facilities at Globalplex including a 177,000 s.f. lay down area and a new 72,000 s.f. transit shed/warehouse capable of handling truck and rail shipments simultaneously. The products are transported to/from the dock area on the port s new internal roadway system that was constructed to Interstate Highway standards for heavy shipments. The next phase of this project will connect the roadway to U.S. Highway 61 (Airline Hwy.) and continue northward to Interstate 10. Rail service is provided to Globalplex by the Canadian National/Illinois Central Railroad and Kansas City Southern Railroad. A 1500 ft. rail spur has been completed in the first phase of a project to connect the two railroads at the northern end of the terminal Awards and Recognition Ceremony In December the port honored its outstanding employees with a recognition banquet. Those honored include the following: For overall performance evaluation ratings of Exceeds Requirements the employees are: Alvin Morris Daniel Taillon Michael Anderson Aubrey Gravois Donald Brown Gary Hickman Nyler Williams Churtis Bickford Guadalupe Torres Patrick Dufresne Michael Vicknair Mitch Smith Lenora Davis Firmin Mitchell James Lumar Dennis Millet

8 Ronald Johnson Janeen Benn Lori Warner Kevin Poche For overall performance evaluation ratings of Outstanding the employees are: Catherine Becnel Monica Pierre Catherine Davis Joanne Weber Kim Landry Cleveland Johnson Alexandra Hernandez Cindy Martin Grant Faucheux Lisa Braud Maria Stein Patti Crockett Vickie Lewis-Clark Pamela Linton Sylvia Hickman Celeste DeSlatte Sandra Plattsmier Port Fourchon New NOAA Charting NOAA has issued the plan for the surveying and charting of nearshore and offshore areas of Port Fourchon, offshore areas of the Fourchon headland and passes and coastal and offshore areas around Grand Isle. A graphic of the survey layout is attached. C&C Technologies of Lafayette will implement the survey program. Surveying will begin in the next few months after preparations are completed. The age of the existing bathymetry and the rapid changes to the coastal, near and offshore areas make new surveying and charting a priority. Port of Greater Baton Rouge COMMUNITY ANNOUNCES A NEW WAY OF SHIPPING COFFEE - For the first time in its history Community Coffee Company will ship most of its coffee up the Mississippi River On Friday, November 18, Community Coffee Company received 13 containers of coffee through the Port of Greater Baton Rouge. The shipment represents the first major logistics change since 1989, when the company transitioned to sealed container shipments. For 16 years, Community has received sealed containers of coffee through the Port of New Orleans, which were then transported by trucks to Community's roasting and packaging facility in Port Allen, Louisiana. Following Hurricane Katrina, there were shortages of ground transportation and storage limitations in New Orleans. The solution for transporting coffee from New Orleans to Port Allen was found in shipping containers by barge up the Mississippi River from New Orleans to the Port of Greater Baton Rouge. This solution offers many benefits. Sealed containers of green coffee arrive at the Port of New Orleans aboard ocean-going ships, and then the containers are offloaded onto local barges, providing jobs for local river pilots. Shipping containerized coffee by barges up the Mississippi ensures business for both the Ports of New Orleans and Greater Baton Rouge. Additionally, container-on-barge shipments are economically efficient, due to the higher capacity of barge tows, and environmentallyfriendly, as they take many trucks off congested highways. "The immediate need, following Katrina, to keep our supply chain intact allowed us to explore new ways to transport our coffee," stated Matt Saurage, President of Community Coffee Company. "By shipping the majority of our coffee by barge from the Port of New Orleans into the Port of Greater Baton Rouge, we know that we are supporting the economies of both

9 cities." "Community Coffee's relationship with the Port of Greater Baton Rouge goes back more than 30 years," said Jay Hardman, managing director of the port. "Community's roasting facility is located at the port. It is a privilege to work with Community Coffee in an effort to create economic benefit for the state of Louisiana. Our latest initiative to this end is providing a transportation alternative for Community Coffee products via the port's container-on-barge terminal, which will create jobs in the port area. We are proud to have one of Louisiana's finest products, Community Coffee, move through our port," said Hardman. This new way of transporting coffee containers was also used when Community Coffee's long-standing coffee supplying partners donated coffees from around the world in support of Community Coffee's pledge to provide 5 million cups of coffee to the hurricane relief efforts. Just days after Hurricane Katrina, green coffee partners from Colombia, Mexico and Brazil contacted Community Coffee to express their desire to support the company's relief initiative. To that end, thousands of pounds of coffee have been donated. Community Coffee was founded in 1919 in Baton Rouge by Henry Norman "Cap" Saurage. Today, Community Coffee is still family owned and operated and is the largest family-owned retail coffee brand in America. Community Coffee products are available in Louisiana, Texas and the Southeast in grocery stores, offices, restaurants, hotels and convenience stores. Specialty quality Community Coffee can be found at CC's Coffee House locations in Baton Rouge, Lafayette and New Orleans as well as through Community Coffee.com. Community proudly roasts and packages its fine coffees locally, here in Louisiana. For more information, visit CommunityCoffee.com, call or write Community Coffee Company, Post Office Box 791, Baton Rouge, LA Port of Shreveport-Bossier Since Governor Blanco s announcement in June that Steelscape would locate a $ 200M plant at the Port, construction of Phase I of the project has moved rapidly. This timely progress has allowed Phase II to begin much sooner than planned. Production of metallic-coated and prepainted steel coils will begin in early spring of The estimated economic impact this single project will generate is nearly $400M annually. When the full project is completed, more than one million tons/year of product will pass through the Port. Entering yet another opportunity for growth, the Port partnered with TruSouth Oil to construct a new manufacturing facility designed for blending, compounding, packaging, and distribution of petroleum based lubricants and solvents. The facility, currently under construction, will be approximately 85,000 square feet, with a total investment anticipated to exceed $8M. According to company officials, the focus will be on producing a wide array of niche products that are not currently produced by major manufactures. Omni Specialty Packaging has experienced a significant increase in sales over the past two years, creating a need for additional warehouse space. The need was met by a 72,000 square foot expansion which was completed in December. Omni was awarded the Lowe s Home Improvement Warehouse Vendor of the year for According to Jude Palombo, President of Omni, Our employees dedication to their jobs and our focus on customer service led to our being awarded Vendor of the Year. Arkla Disposal s volume has increased monthly by 150% over the past year with a workforce that has grown from 5 employees to 20 employees. According to company spokesman, John Tuma, they expect employment to increase to 35 by the first of the summer. The Arkla facility cleans and processes industrial wastewater.

10 Otto Candies III New Vice-President The Millennium Port Authority Board of Commissioners has elected Mr. Otto Candies III as the Vice President for the statewide authority to serve the remainder of the two-year term vacated by Mr. Phil Prejean who had moved up to the President s position. Mr. Candies, from Des Allemands, has served as a Commissioner since 1999 and was the Planning Committee Chair for the Authority. Captain Mark Delesdernier remains the Treasurer. Associate Member Updates 1350 Port of New Orleans Place New Orleans, Louisiana Telephone: / 3282 Fax: completed its last survey segment on December 20, finding no obstruction, which enabled the Captain of the Port to reopen the channel with no restrictions. Port of Morgan City Meeting NOAA recently met with the port of Morgan City to discuss charting and Coast Pilot issues for that area. The amount of activity at the port and in the Atchafalaya area has grown very significantly. The benchmark close to the Port is one for which NOAA s National Geodetic Survey has recently published new elevations. This was done as part of an updating of the elevations for coastal Louisiana. The website below describes the effort and provides an easy to access method of using the reference network. ontrol.shtml Volkert & Associates Due to the flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina, Volkert and Associates, Inc. has relocated its Louisiana office to the Baton Rouge area. Contact information is now as follows: Mailing Address: 8882 Florida Boulevard Walker, LA Phone: (225) Fax: (225) Address: batonrouge@volkert.com NOAA Navigation Response Team Assists in Surveying and Support for Reopening Calcasieu Ship Channel On December 18, a tug and barge struck an unknown object in the Calcasieu Ship Channel near Lake Charles in southwest Louisiana, causing the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to restrict traffic until the hazard could be located. USCG requested the Office of Coast Survey to deploy a Navigation Response Team (NRT) from Houston to Lake Charles to assist with surveying in collaboration with COE. The NRT America s WETLANDS Louisiana officials have launched a petition drive in their efforts to persuade Congress to give coastal states a larger share of federal oil and gas money from offshore drilling. The state's portion of those dollars would be an annual stream of cash used to help repair Louisiana's eroding coastline, which serves as a natural buffer to storm surge, and to beef up other types of protection against hurricanes. Though Louisiana has been pressing for years for a larger piece of the revenue stream, the need is more urgent after hurricanes Katrina and Rita wiped out 100 square miles of marsh across Louisiana's coast and battered the levee system.

11 The petition calls on the White House and Congress "to make a commitment to coastal protection" and to provide the greater sharing of offshore drilling dollars, known as "Outer Continental Shelf" revenues. Sign the petition and help educate the White House, Congress and the nation about the importance of coastal protection to the revitalization of Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. These issues are of critical importance not only to Louisiana's future, but also to the nation's economic and energy security. Forward this message to your family, friends and all who are concerned about saving America's WETLAND and ask them to join you in signing this petition. MARK YOUR CALENDARS February 16-17, Environmental Regulatory Compliance Conference Alexandria, LA March 14-16, 2006 Inland Waterways Conference Responding to Emergencies on the Inland Waterways Hilton Memphis - March 22-24, 2006, PAL Annual Conference L Auberge du Lac Hotel Lake Charles, LA (call and your code word is SPORT) The petition can be found at and at Just copy and paste one of these addresses into the location line of your browser. In Memoriam Mr. George Schiro, a maritime executive and former chairman of the New Orleans Dock Board passed away January 5 th at Slidell Memorial Hospital. Mr. Schiro began his career in transportation logistics in 1951 with Illinois Gulf Railroad. He held many positions with maritime related industries including executive vice president of Boasso America Corp. He will be remembered for his many civic involvements. Louisiana Ports Deliver