[StBernard] Port of St. Bernard: Deep port on the Mississippi

[Westley Annis]

Port of St. Bernard: Deep port on the Mississippi
DATE: 02 Dec 2009 The Port of St. Bernard is investing in new technology and
infrastructure improvements to fuel Louisiana's growing maritime industry. 

Supply Chain Digital investigates
Written by Militza Richard & Produced by Mike Magno

In Chalmette, LA, the Mississippi River is the biggest landmark, and the
maritime industry is a way of life. One in eight jobs in the state is fueled
by the industry, which provides 270,000 jobs. 

The Port of St. Bernard, located on 300 acres right along the river, serves
the maritime industry of the area. As one of six deepwater ports in the
state, it serves a vital role in the transportation of goods and materials.
Largely a bulk terminal serving a niche market, products such as metallic
ores and minerals, ferro alloys, petroleum coke, zinc concentrates
fertilizers and steel are all unloaded at the port and shipped to 36 states
around the country by barge fleets, rail and trucks. 

Founded in 1960 as a part of the Louisiana government, the port really came
to life in the 1980s and has been growing ever since. The port's current
assets are worth in excess of $100 million. 


CONSTANT GROWTH 

"We've been in expansion mode since the 80s," says St. Bernard's Executive
Director Dr. Robert Scafidel. In 1989, the port purchased and developed an
industrial park to house area businesses. This extra amenity sets the port
apart from its competition. 

Although the industrial park -in fact, the entire town of Chalmette-
experienced a huge setback five years ago when it was hit by hurricane
Katrina, the park has been slowly recovering tenants, and the facility is
currently maxed out. 

The port has also continued to grow. From 2000 to 2008, the port increased
its tonnage from one-half million to 4.8 million tons. And while Dr.
Scafidel admits the numbers will be down a bit this year due to the economy,
he is hopeful both the port and the industrial park will continue to grow
and improve over the coming years. 

Dr. Scafidel says the port's real challenge is not the economy but rather
financing continued growth. "We're currently looking at expanding downriver.
This would allow us to double the output of the port," he says. 


IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS 

With future growth in mind, the Port of St. Bernard has invested more than
$30 million in projects over the past year. Seven million went to a new
lumber company facility in a better location that allowed more dock space.
Another $10 million has been budgeted for dock repairs over the next couple
of months. The port also invested in a new transit shed which it hopes to
have in service within the next month. 

However, the port is most proud of its new administration and security
office. A significant improvement from the previous office, which was
destroyed by Katrina, the new office has been moved away from the river to
free up space for future development. Additionally, all offices are on the
third floor, eliminating the risk of flooding. 

Dr. Scafidel admits that handling all of these projects at once was a
challenge but says that it's "the fun part of the job." 

With a terminal degree in administration and 11 years under his belt as
Executive Director, logistics challenges are Dr. Scafidel's specialty.
Before coming to the port, Dr. Scafidel was vice president of a local
community college, but he didn't find the switch from academia too
difficult. "The basics are the same. Both jobs deal with admin and finance,"
he says. 


FRIENDLY COMPETITORS 

In addition to his job as port director, Dr. Scafidel is also actively
involved with local and national port associations and says that cooperation
with other ports has been crucial to the Port of St. Bernard's success. 

The port is a member of the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA),
of which Dr. Scafidel is a past board member. Most of the local ports also
belong to the Gulf Ports Association and the Ports Association of Louisiana
of which Dr. Scafidel was president. 

The 30 ports in the state get together on a monthly basis, and the Port of
St. Bernard is part of a five-port consortium that cooperates along the
river to get things done. "We're friendly competitors," says Dr. Scafidel.
"We compete for business, but have a great working relationship." 

The five ports work in tandem with the Coast Guard to maintain security and
to handle any problems that arise, such as a recent oil spill. 

The ports are also connected from the mouth of the River to Baton Rouge
through technology. Along with internet capabilities, the ports also share
video feeds. 

As a small port, such relationships are extremely important to the Port of
St. Bernard. But that doesn't mean Scafidel sees the ports smaller size as a
hindrance. "We have that friendliness and smallness that means nothing gets
lost in the shuffle," he says. 

Although the port itself only employees 30, its tenants employ over 600, and
the port's small size allows it to be open to tenant's suggestions. "We
assist in any way we can," says Scafidel. "We like to keep in touch and be
very visible. We never want to be out of sight, out of mind." 

Active in local economic groups, Dr. Scafidel is very optimistic about the
future of the port and area industries. "We'll be in a constant mode of
growth," he says. "I think there is a very bright future for the Mississippi
River and the area. I'm very optimistic." 


FACTS AT A GLANCE: 


Company Name: Port of St. Bernard 


EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Dr. Robert Scafidel 


Operations: Port of St. Bernard 

is a landlord port on the Mississippi 

that handles primarily bulk products 


Established: 1960 


Employees: 30 


Revenue: $5 million 


www.stbernardport.com