ST. BERNARD PORT CELEBRATES MARITIME MONTH WITH PORT TOUR

For the past six years, local maritime leaders have recognized the region’s rich maritime history and honored its hardworking men and women by celebrating “Maritime Month” each May to coincide with National Maritime Day on May 22.

 The St. Bernard Port, Harbor & Terminal District will join in the month-long celebration by hosting its second annual guided tour of its Chalmette and Arabi Terminals to highlight the facilities’ positive economic impact on St. Bernard, said Port Executive Director Drew Heaphy.

 Heaphy said the event will take place on the afternoon of Tuesday, May 25 and will begin around 1 p.m. with a presentation that will be held at the St. Bernard Port Administration Building, followed by a bus tour through the Chalmette and Arabi Terminals, and ending with a crew boat tour on the Mississippi River.

 The tour is open to the public; reservations are required and space is limited. For information about the tour, or to reserve a spot, click here. 

 For more information, call Sydni Nicholson at (504) 278-2420.

 Heaphy said the tour will showcase how the Port has become a catalyst for the success of local commerce.

 “We want to invite the public to take a look at what we do on a daily basis and remind them how valuable the Port is to the community,” Heaphy said, “It’s important to us to make the public aware of what an important role the Port plays in the continued successful economic development of St. Bernard Parish.”

 Heaphy also wants to tout the hard work being done by the employees at the Port, and the continued partnership with the Marine Terminal Operator Associated Terminals.

 “Our hardworking, dedicated employees, along with the relationship we have with our Marine Terminal Operator Associated Terminals, have both played a significant role in helping the Port become one of the driving forces behind economic opportunity and prosperity in St. Bernard Parish,” Heaphy said.

 Through Heaphy’s leadership and Associated Terminals’ wide range of berthing options and cargo handling solutions, St. Bernard Port moves annually millions of bulk, break-bulk and general cargo transfers, to and from thousands of barges and hundreds of cargo ships from around the world.

 Along with its tenants and users of its facilities, the Port produces an estimated $325 million in direct and indirect spending annually for the local economy, and creates more than 2,000 full-time jobs, Heaphy said.

 In addition to the Chalmette Terminal, St. Bernard Port’s operations also include maritime facilities in Arabi and Violet, as well as Chalmette and Meraux Mid-Stream Mooring Facilities.

 Associated Terminals, which operates the Arabi and Violet Terminals and the Midstream berths at Chalmette and Meraux, provides an array of services, including truck and rail loading and unloading, warehousing and storage, bagging capabilities and screening/processing services.

 Heaphy said when the company first commenced operations at the Port in 2002, Associated Terminals employed about 40 people. Today, he said, Associated Terminals boasts more than 250 employees, many of whom are St. Bernard Parish residents.