[StBernard] New Orleans' International Shipholding Corp. moving toMobile

[Westley Annis]

Let's compare the numbers, shall we?  Losing just over a hundred jobs to
Mobile, AL (of people alive and well) because of the MRGO closing COMPARED
TO the nearly 200 people who drowned as a result of the MRGO.

Gee, I'd say Mr. Johnsen and his company are getting the better end of that
deal.

I should note I had the pleasure of meeting Erik several times during the
course of serving as Walter Boasso campaign manager for his senate race.  I
found Erik to genuinely be a nice guy and he was a big supporter of Walter.
However, I found him to be the type of person when presenting him with an
idea, he'll give you a hundred reasons why it won't work - never why it will
or could work.  In itself that's not necessarily bad because you always need
honest input, but at the same time that's why it doesn't surprise me one bit
that I sense in his statement a tone of opposition to closing the MRGO and
putting a few economic dollars as a higher priority over the lives of people
in St. Bernard and the lower Ninth Ward.

John Scurich


----- Original Message -----

> The Associated Press

>

>

> NEW ORLEANS (AP) - International Shipholding Corp. said Monday it is

moving

> its headquarters and its subsidiary CG Railway operations from New 

> Orleans to Mobile, citing the federal government's likely closure of a 

> southeast Louisiana shipping channel blamed for widespread flooding 

> after Hurricane Katrina.

>

> "Our company, unfortunately, is another victim of Hurricane Katrina,"

> corporation chairman Erik F. Johnsen said in a news release.

>

> In an interview, Johnsen said about 135 people at the corporate

headquarters

> will be invited to move with the company to Mobile. He said the move 

> would most likely take place in January.

>

> Congress recently authorized the spending of $3.5 million for the U.S.

Army

> Corps of Engineers to draw up a plan to close the Mississippi River 

> Gulf Outlet - known locally as the "Mr. Go" - at least to deep draft

shipping.

>

> Johnsen noted that dredging of the outlet has already been suspended. 

> This comes as the corporation is planning to start using multideck 

> vessels that will not be able to traverse the outlet at its current 

> depth of 23 feet, Johnsen said.

>

> The news release said that the corporation's barge repair operation in 

> Lafitte, La., will remain along with all of its 50 employees there.

>

> "Our roots are in New Orleans and it pains us to leave," Johnsen said 

> of

the

> business his family founded as Central Gulf Steamship Corporation in 1947.

> "However, we will have a continued presence in Louisiana."

>

> Mayor Ray Nagin was not immediately available for comment when his 

> office was contacted Monday evening.