Page 81: of Marine News Magazine (November 2014)

80 82

edented expansion, and we’re confi - dent about providing a safe, effi cient and prosperous port for all.”

An additional 25,000 workers are expected in the area, mostly to build the new LNG and petrochemical fa- cilities, Palmer said. “They’ll have to be housed, and lodges are be- ing constructed for them now,” he said. In the petro-expansion, Lake

Charles could go from being the na- tion’s twelfth most-active port to fi fth busiest by 2025, he said. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Energy has warned that an outfl ow of LNG will raise natural gas prices to American consumers. The Sierra Club and other environmental groups say an indus- trial conglomeration in the bayous threatens Louisiana’s already shrink- ing coastline.

It seems almost certain that LNG traffi c will rise on the Gulf Coast, and very soon. How much depends on who you talk to. On the other hand, workboats are the one variable that is guaranteed to increase along with any development. Erring on the side of caution – both in the number of pilots being used to move LNG traf- fi c and the number of tugs required to provide the necessary margin of safety – local offi cials and the general pub- lic itself, will demand it. That’s good news for brown water operators, ship- yards and domestic mariners alike.

Susan Buchanan is a New Orleans- based business writer, specializing in energy, maritime matters, agriculture, the environment and construction. She holds a master’s degree from Cornell University in agricultural economics and an undergraduate degree from the

University of Pennsylvania.

Cygnus 2

Ultrasonic Thickness

Gauge

Come see us this year December 3rd—5th at The

International Workboat Show in New Orleans at Booth #1350

Cygnus Instruments, Inc.

Phone: 410-267-9771

Email: [email protected] MN 81www.marinelink.com

MN Nov14 Layout 66-81.indd 81 10/23/2014 10:48:34 AM