Port of Lake Charles • Calcasieu Ship Channel
Ready for Future Growth
The Channel is Capable of Doubling
Present Traffic Capacity—and More
The Port of Lake Charles commissioned the Calcasieu Ship Channel Traffic Study to project future channel use. The study used scientific methods to analyze actual historical shipping, tide and weather data, and simulated more than doubling ship traffic over 20 years, with much of the traffic increase occurring by 2023.
The study concluded “The Channel handled all of the scheduled traffic. This shows that the Channel has sufficient capacity to receive and handle the additional traffic forecasted.”
Petroleum and LNG
The Channel is an Experienced and
Reliable Highway for Energy Cargo
- 85% of tonnage shipped on the Calcasieu Ship Channel is energy cargo.
- The Channel is home to the nation’s sixth-largest refinery, and carries 7.5% of the nation’s daily oil consumption.
- The world’s first trans-ocean LNG shipment sailed from Lake Charles in 1959.
- More than 600 LNG ships have safely and efficiently transited the Channel.
- The Port of Lake Charles has 17 pilots highly trained and experienced in handling LNG vessels.
- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintains the Channel, and dredging is funded in the Federal budget.
PORT OF LAKE CHARLES • CALCASIEU SHIP CHANNEL
Reliable Shipping
Proven by Historical Performance
and Prepared for Future Growth