Port of Lake Charles cracks nation’s top 10 for cargo
LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) -
The numbers are in and the Lake Charles Harbor District is now a top-10 port in the nation for cargo.
“When this energy renaissance started with us, we were able to send renders to people showing them what could happen here now we’re taking photos saying it’s actually here,” said Capt. Brett Palmer.
Palmer has been working for the Port of Lake Charles since he was just 16 years old. For the last 32 years, he has been with the Lake Charles pilots.
“For Southwest Louisiana as a whole to be at this mark where we are today, when Ricky starts talking about we’re the 10th largest port in the country, think about those other ports. There are 56 major ports in the United States and we rank number 10,” said Palmer.
Lake Charles beat out the Port of Los Angeles to crack the top 10. It is one of four Louisiana ports on the list put out by Waterborne Commerce.
“They rank ports based on overall tonnage. We reported a 34 percent increase in domestic tonnage and a 32 percent increase in foreign tonnage with an overall average of 33 percent,” said Richert Self, the Executive Director of the Port of Lake Charles.
Marine cargo activity along the Calcasieu Ship Channel has a $39 billion total economic value to the U.S. economy and $29.9 billion of it stays in Louisiana, according to a 2021 economic study.
About $12 billion of that value is in Calcasieu and Cameron parishes.
“No other top 50 port reported such significant increases in tonnage over that same time period,” said Self.
“We’re working on a lot of other projects that will change the face of Lake Charles and by 2027, we’re going to see even more coming to this general area,” said Palmer.
As the port grows, Palmer says he looks forward to meeting the next generation of workers just like him.
“Be patient. You got to study hard and you got to work hard and anybody can be in my position that has the dream to do it,” said Palmer.
Self says they’ve also experienced exponential growth in lumber imports.
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