Nearly 80 million tons of product are shipped past the Port’s harbor facility located on the Chain of Rocks Canal each year. The America’s Central Port harbor is the most northerly ice-free port on the Mississippi River, and Lock and Dam #27 at the south end of the Port’s harbor is the last lock on the Mississippi River. The River is free-flowing to New Orleans past this point.
Dry Bulk Terminal
A major asset of the Port’s existing harbor facility is the existence of a dry bulk terminal. The facility is designed to easily handle in excess of 2 million tons of grain and grain by-products annually. Soybeans and corn gluten are the two most common grains handled through the facility currently. Grain is received either by truck or by rail and is loaded onto river barges for shipment to New Orleans for export. Each river barge can accommodate about 1,500 tons of grain. Bulk Service, Inc. operates the dry bulk facility at the Port’s harbor.
Fleeting Services
To handle the large number of river barges that annually are serviced at America’s Central Port, the Port has entered into a “fleeting arrangement” with an operator. Lewis and Clark Marine provides 24-hour barge switching services in the harbor. Lewis and Clark Marine provides excellent service in accommodating a multitude of commodities and moving barges to their respective positions.
General Cargo Dock
The General Cargo Dock is operated by Mid-Coast Terminal Company. The existing harbor can handle literally anything by barge and transfer it to truck or rail. The General Cargo Dock handles all items that are not otherwise handled at the dry or liquid bulk terminals at the harbor. Commodities frequently handled include steel coils, metals, and fertilizer. The facility has handled, and can easily accommodate, packaged and palletized goods and sea containers.
Liquid Bulk Terminal
A major component of the Port’s existing harbor is the movement of liquid bulk products, primarily asphalt oil. Product is transferred from river barge into heated tanker cars or into storage tanks located on the property. The liquid terminal can handle a variety of liquids including food-grade oils.
Roll-on/Roll-off Dock
Another unique asset which the Port has to offer is its roll-on/roll-off dock which can be used to transfer over-sized and over-weight items to and from the river from rail or road.