Monthly finance and operations report: revenues up, FEMA and DOTD funds arrive; NOAA sensors and new ship loader scheduled

At the March 25 meeting, district staff delivered routine finance and operations updates covering revenues, grants, navigation sensors and upcoming equipment arrivals.

Cameron reported February operating revenues of $3,900,000, about $700,000 favorable to plan, and expenses of approximately $3,100,000 (about $600,000 unfavorable), leaving a cash flow of roughly $1,200,000 for the month. He said the district received about $5,200,000 from FEMA GOSEP over the past month, another $1.5 million that was pending has since arrived, and staff submitted an additional $9,500,000 for processing. Cameron also said Louisiana DOTD processed $5,500,000 related to a rail relocation project and credited the district’s grants contract manager for timely submissions and reimbursements.

Abigail briefed the board on NOAA’s Physical Oceanographic Real Time System (PORDS), describing it as a channel sensor network that measures bridge air gap, currents, wind and other conditions pilots use for navigation. She said NOAA is the federal sponsor and the district is the nonfederal sponsor under an approximate 75/25 cost share; pilots collect an assessment from vessels that funds the port’s share. Abigail said the district is considering adding visibility sensors (cameras or laser systems) to help navigation during an extended local fog season and that a group would survey the channel to identify sensor sites.

On operations, John summarized cargo movements and upcoming schedules: about 5,000 tons of aluminum hydrates in three barges recently at City Docks, a cargo transfer of ~2,700 tons, an ongoing rice load of ~9,000 tons, a scheduled lumber vessel (~8,390 tons), recent coke shipments at BT1 totaling roughly 70,000 tons, rutile shipments, and a BayRite ship of about 50,000 tons expected April 1 with a bagged cement ship also due April 1 at BT1.

Terrence reported the district will host visitors from the World Food Program, USAID and the USDA commodity office to tour terminals; he said about 14,500 tons of rice were allocated to three African countries with Supreme Rice supplying shipments. Nick, engineering, reported construction projects progressing and said a new coke ship loader is on track to be delivered April 6–7; he estimated 2–3 weeks of setup followed by roughly a month of commissioning and testing.

The meeting moved into executive session after a motion and voice vote. The public record did not include detailed schedules for contract execution, nor did staff present a line-item breakdown of all grant reimbursements at this meeting.