PORT OF BEAUMONT NEWSLETTER- JULY 2017

U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Welcomes New Commander On June 20, 2017, Captain Randal Ogrydziak relinquished command of the Marine Safety Unit of the United States Coast Guard, located in Port Arthur, Texas, to Captain Jackie Twomey. Capt. Ogrydziak has commanded the Marine Safety Unit since July 2014 and will enter retirement after 38 years of service with the U.S. Coast Guard.

842nd Transportation Battalion Welcomes LTC Donald Santillo In a traditional Change of Command Ceremony held at the Beaumont Event Centre on June 14, 2017, Lieutenant Colonel Brad Bane relinquished command of the 842nd Transportation Battalion to Lieutenant Colonel Donald Santillo. Lieutenant Colonel Bane has served as Commander of the 842nd Transportation Battalion since June 9, 2015. Upon completion of his assignment with the 842nd, LTC Bane will  report to the United States Army Materiel Command, Redstone Arsenal, in Huntsville, Alabama. LTC Santillo joins the 842nd Transportation Battalion from assignment in Kansas, where he served on the staff and faculty of the Command and General Staff College (CGSC). During his tenure with the college, LTC Santillo served as the Executive Officer to the Chief of Staff CGSC, Operations Officer at the School of Advanced Military Studies, and instructor in the Department of Logistics and Resource Operations at the Command and General Staff School. LTC Santillo's military career also includes assignments in Germany, Alabama, Korea, Hawaii, Afghanistan, Virginia, Iraq and New York. The Port of Beaumont is grateful for the strong leadership LTC Bane provided and looking forward to LTC Santillo's command. Read More

The Seafarers' Center of Beaumont hosted a memorial ceremony in honor of National Maritime Day on May 22, 2017. Members of the 842nd Battalion were recognized in celebration of National Armed Forces Day and National Transportation Week and Mayor Becky Ames presented a proclamation recognizing those who contribute to this vital industry.  23 Million jobs are supported by America's seaports  More photos Georgine Guillory and Louis Broussard received their Oaths of Office as commissioners of the Port of Beaumont on Monday, May 22, 2017. Guillory, representing Ward 4, and Broussard, representing the district at-large, were both re-elected to office without opposition. Guillory also serves as the Secretary-Treasurer for the Board of Commissioners.    The Board of Commissioners of the Port of Beaumont is comprised of six board members who each serve six-year terms.  Read More

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Visits Port of Beaumont U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Elaine Chao, attended the naming ceremony for the Liberty Passion on March 3, 2017, at the Port of Beaumont. The M/V Liberty Passion is the third Liberty Global Logistics ship to join the Maritime Security Program. Secretary Chao is the first American woman of Asian descent to be appointed to a President’s Cabinet in our nation’s history.  She is the longest tenured Secretary of Labor since World War II, and the only member of President Bush’s original cabinet to have served the entire eight years of his Administration.

Liberty Passion Joins Maritime Security Program The M/V Liberty Passion, Liberty Global Logistics' third ship to join the Maritime Security Program, arrived at the Port of Beaumont on February 28, 2017. As part of the Maritime Security Program, the vessel is available to the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S Maritime Administration to ship military equipment abroad. The Liberty Passion is capable of carrying up to 6,500 cars on 12 decks and has a total deck area of approximately 580,000 square feet. The naming ceremony for the vessel took place on March 3, 2017 and was sponsored by the City of Beaumont. The Liberty Passion was welcomed to the Port of Beaumont by Liberty Global Logistics' leadership including  Chairman & CEO of Liberty Maritime Corporation, Philip J. Shapiro, and Executive Vice President of Liberty Global Logistics, Robert Wellner. Other high-ranking dignitaries in attendance included U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao; Lt. Gen. Stephen R. Lyons; Executive Director of the Maritime Administration, Joel Szabat; Major General Kurt Ryan; and Congressman Brian Babin.  Liberty Global Logistics LLC (LGL) is a United States based multi-modal transportation and logistics company, as well as a VISA participant, that specializes in heavy equipment and rolling stock utilizing a fleet of Pure Car/Truck Carriers and multi-purpose carriers. By delivering global transportation solutions, LGL meets the needs and resolves the daily challenges their customers face in the international supply chain.    The Port is proud to partner with LGL on the shipment of military equipment abroad through the Maritime Security Program.

Ernest Bezdek Speaks on the Importance of the Transportation System to the U.S. Military Director of Trade Development, Ernest Bezdek, was invited to speak at the Houston National Transportation Week luncheon the week of May 15, 2017. The luncheon was attended by approximately 200 transportation professionals from the Houston area. Bezdek spoke on the importance of the transportation system to the U.S. military, specifically the 842nd Transportation Battalion.

In the first half of 2017, the Port of Beaumont: WELCOMED 189 VESSELS Vessels from Asia, South America, Africa and beyond  visited the Port of Beaumont in the first half of 2017. LOADED/UNLOADED 7,961 RAIL CARS Averaging 52 rail cars per day. DISCHARGED 54,691 TONS OF MILITARY EQUIPMENT The Port is the #1 Strategic Military Port in the world and home to the 842nd Transportation Battalion. LOADED 124,408 TONS OF PULP Suzano, the Port's primary pulp customer, is the second-largest producer of eucalyptus pulp in the world.  LOADED 482,556 TONS OF GRAIN The Louis Dreyfus Grain Elevator  can accommodate 3.5 million bushels and has a loading capacity of 80,000 bushels per hour.

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