Posted on November 6, 2024
Shallow waters have long been an issue for the Port of Iberia. The problem was apparent even before current Port Director Craig Romero took his seat in 2014.
“For 20 years, they went after federal funding,” he said. “The Army Corps of Engineers never appropriated one nickel to dredge the poor channel.”
The port is a 57.5-mile waterway that provides access to the Gulf of Mexico and includes the Commercial Canal, the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and Freshwater Bayou.
One of Romero’s major goals has been to deepen the channel into the Vermilion Bay, which will allow companies to transport bigger platforms. After being in the works since before Romero came on board, the massive project is in the final stretches after millions of dollars were secured for the work.
It already is paying off.
International companies like SeaDrill from England, Global Riser from South Africa and E-Crane from Belgium have set up shop in the port, furthering the economic engine of Acadiana. The dredging, along with the port’s ability to fund improvements and be nimble to accommodate its businesses, were integral to getting these companies to locate to Iberia Parish.
“I think dredging is huge,” said Global Riser Regional Manager Matt Perold. “Really, the port in New Iberia is a helpline. Most (other ports), you’re kind of begging for help from them, but here it’s been really easy.”
Global Riser, which has offices in India, Spain, Namibia and Brazil, builds risers for deepwater drilling. Risers are like a guide for a drill, and it connects the rig on the surface to the lower seabed.
Workers pressure test a telescopic joint at Global Risers Monday, October 21, 2024, at the Port of Iberia in New Iberia, La.
Perold said the company signed a deal to enter the port in 2023, and those operations house its repair and testing site for global customers. The company sealed the deal after Romero said the port would build a $10 million facility on the property.
E-Crane, which specializes in electric cranes that handle bulk materials, decided to move to the port in December 2023, said U.S. CEO Steve Osborne. E-Crane began its search at the Port of New Orleans but found that port and area too expensive, and it lacked the necessary space.
“We started branching out,” Osborne said. “We had a couple of customers that are based in the Port of Iberia. We sat down and had a first meeting with the Port of Iberia and Craig Romero, and we were kind of blown away by how motivated he was to find new tenants. We pretty much pulled the plug on doing any kind of other solution.”
Romero also remembered that conversation.
“One day, I get a call out of the blue, ‘Craig, are you at the port? Look, I got my boss. He’s here from Poland,'” he said. “I said, ‘I’ll meet you out there.’ We walked for two hours. I was soaking wet, but you got to do what you go to do. You go to New Orleans, you’re not going to ride around with the port director.”
Romero said the port would build E-Crane a $4 million bulkhead and offer an additional $3 million for building rehab. Osborne said without the port’s investment, the cost of improvements would not have been cost-effective for the company, calling the port a “major boost.”
The port and its businesses are one of the largest employers in Acadiana. The numbers fluctuate, but currently, the port employs around 2,500. At its peak, it employed around 5,000, but Romero believes that continued investment in dredging will entice more businesses and support businesses and customers around Acadiana.
Spending to entice businesses is a common practice at most ports, Romero said. But leases paid and payroll checks from businesses go toward future improvements to bring in more companies.
The port’s dredging project is set to be completed in April.
