From staff reports

The Twin Parish Port Commission held its January meeting on Tuesday the 13th to elect new officers and discuss upcoming plans and activity.

Elected as new President was Jeff LeBlanc of Delcambre, Wayne Hebert of Erath was elected vice president and Paul Mayard of Delcambre was elected secretary-treasurer.



Simone Champagne, State Representative for District 49 is a big supporter of the Twin Parish Port district.

“It is with great pleasure I have the opportunity to represent the Twin Parish Port District on the state level,” she said. “I am pleased to see that they are continuing to look at ways to expand the port. Twin Parish Port is well-positioned and the availability of land surrounding the port makes this area a jewel for economic growth.”

The Twin Parish Port District is located in Iberia and Vermilion Parishes.

The district contains the Port of Delcambre located in Delcambre.

The Delcambre canal is approximately five miles from the Intracoastal Waterway with direct access to Vermillion Bay and Southwest Pass.

The Delcambre Canal has a minimum depth of nine feet to as deep as 15 feet.

The 25-acre port has its own access road which runs south from Highway 14 and includes a railway, which parallels the highway east to New Iberia and west to Erath and Abbeville.

Acreage available for lease or sale by landowners is greater than 100 acres.

Newly elected president, Jeff LeBlanc said, “We are looking at ways to expand the Port of Delcambre to create new jobs and deliver an economic development impact to Delcambre and Erath.” LeBlanc continues, “We have real potential with our port to create jobs in the tourism, fabrication, and industrial sectors along with the shrimp and seafood industry.”

The Port of Delcambre constitutes the main asset for the Twin Parish Port District.

The district is governed by the Port Commission, a board of 11 commissioners appointed by the Town of Delcambre, the Town of Erath, the Vermilion Parish Police Jury, and the Iberia Parish Council. Major commercial entities within the district include Shaw Global, nationally ranked shrimp processing and production, the Henry hub, a national strategic natural gas distribution facility, Avery Island, where the Mclhenny pepper factory that produces the world famous Tabasco sauce products is located, Jefferson Island, the Town of Delcambre and the and Erath.

Incoming vice president Wayne Hebert of Erath said, “Erath and Delcambre have been sister cities for a long time. By working together, both towns can benefit from the expansion and development of the port’s assets, from Don’s Boat Landing to the Port of Delcambre to Lake Peigneur.”

Last summer the Port of Delcambre was awarded a major grant from the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA).

Jim Wiggins, a port commissioner and the head of the steering committee that help get a grant. said, “The port recently entered into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with the Louisiana Recovery Authority that will enable the port to proceed with a project to construct a new boat launch south of Delcambre, an open-air seafood market and boat dock, and an observation/fishing pier.

“We’re very excited that the project is moving forward. The grant was the result of a collaborative effort by a steering committee appointed from the Town of Delcambre and the Port, the Louisiana Sea Grant Program, the LSU AgCenter, the LSU School of Landscape Architecture, and the UL School of Architecture and Design. The site will be located south of Delcambre with direct access from Highway 330.

With Delcambre and Erath facing serious challenges with population loss due to Hurricanes Rita and Ike, an aggressive expansion of the Port of Delcambre could be the shot in the arm the area needs. LeBlanc indicates that “both Delcambre and Erath have excellent schools, and we now know where and how to build not to flood. When you add in our unique quality of life elements, combined with new, sustained jobs at the Port of Delcambre and other areas in the district from an expansion, we believe we can actually attract families and businesses to relocate here.”

For more informatio, visit www.portofdelcambre.com