Marine Operations


boat The protection of assets along the Mississippi River is of critical importance to the Port of South Louisiana, striving to enhance service as federal funding becomes available and through partnerships in its district.

The Port of South Louisiana has a 24-hour/7 days-a-week emergency response division, with an array of firefighting and safety equipment. The PSL Responder (pictured), outfitted with state-of-the-art
communication and surveillance equipment, was honored by WorkBoat magazine as one of its “10 Significant Boats of 2007.” The newest vessel in the fleet, the M/V Nathan Folse, is a 75-foot Catamaran-style vessel, that is capable of pumping 5,000 gallons per minute. It is also equipped with the latest equipment.

The Port of South Louisiana joined forces with the four other lower Mississippi River deepwater ports (Greater Baton Rouge, New Orleans, St. Bernard, and Plaquemines) to establish a security network throughout the lower 255 miles of the Mississippi River. Nearly half of U.S. exports and one quarter of U.S. petroleum imports pass through this port complex. The goal of this consortium is to protect current and future facilities, to ensure trade, and make this corridor the safest and most protected maritime complex in the world.

port-boatsIn order to meet this goal, Port of South Louisiana is continuously seeking funding from the Department of Homeland Security’s Port Security grant program and other state matching funds to secure the necessary equipment (e.g., communications, surveillance, etc.) and training to establish a cohesive security layer with common practices and equipment across these ports. Therefore, in the event of a natural disaster or a security threat, any one of the five ports could move its operations to a regional partner’s command and control system with minimal interruption in security operations.

The Port of South Louisiana’s Marine Operations Department has the planning and training to mitigate, prevent, prepare, and respond to an emergency within our jurisdiction. Working alongside all local, state, and federal agencies to help ensure safe passage within the district and recently entered into a cooperative endeavor within our local law enforcement agencies -St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, and St. James- to add an extra layer of security.


The Port of South Louisiana’s Marine Operations Department

is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In the event of an emergency, call:

985-536-1118 (MSOC – primary for all emergencies) or 1-866-536-3678 (Marine Operations Barge)
(both available 24-hours)

In the event of a major crisis and/or official Port of South Louisiana closure, important information will be posted on the PORT STATUS page.