ST. BERNARD PORT CELEBRATING MARITIME MONTH WITH FACILITY TOUR

For the past five 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, with National Maritime Day taking place on May 22.

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

Following this year’s theme of “Your Working River, Connecting Louisiana with the World,” Heaphy said the event will take place on the afternoon of Tuesday, May 25 at 1:30 P.M.

The tour is open to the public; reservations are required and space is limited. For information about the tour, or to reserve a spot, call Sydni at (504) 277-8418.

“We are proud of the hard work being done by the employees at our facility and are thankful for the relationship we have with our Marine Terminal Operator Associated Terminals,” Heaphy said. “They’ve both played a significant role in helping the Port become one of the driving forces behind economic opportunity and prosperity for our community.”

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 and 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.

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

“We want to give the public a glimpse into what our daily operations look like,” Heaphy said, “and give the public insight on the Port’s value to the community.”