Stolthaven New Orleans is an ISO 9001 certified bulk liquid storage terminal located off Highway 39 at mile marker 80 on the Mississippi River in Braithwaite, Louisiana. It is Stolthaven's newest state-of-the-art terminal. The terminal operates both as a domestic break-bulk facility and as an international distribution hub -- and also offers wastewater treatment services to its customers. BIC Magazine recently sat down with General Manager Philip Watt to learn more about the site.
BIC: Tell us a little about your facility.
WATT: Stolthaven New Orleans is the closest public terminal to the mouth of the Mississippi River, situated at mile 80.
We are a very modern, sophisticated and well maintained terminal with an excellent rail link serviced by Norfolk Southern, with reciprocal access by KCS (Kansas City Southern), CN (Canadian National), UP (Union Pacific), BNSF and CSX. We are focused on compliance first and foremost while optimizing our ship-to-shore interface and truck turnaround time for the purpose of operational excellence and increased efficiency, thus reducing costs for our customers.
BIC: What's new at your facility this year?
WATT: What's new is additional rail storage, additional automation, and a customer ordering and inventory software system housed within a new control center, all of which give our customers a streamlined service that they know they can rely upon.
BIC: What made you take on your current role at Stolthaven?
WATT: After 30 years at sea, 16 of them as captain of Stolt ships, it was great to be offered a role as a superintendent ashore in tanker operations, expediting Stolt ships through terminals in 2004. From this initial shore assignment, I was promoted to operations manager for both Stolt Tankers and Terminals in New Orleans in 2008. Terminal management is at times a challenging position but satisfying in success, so it was very pleasing to be promoted to manage Stolthaven New Orleans in 2011. We have a great terminal here with good people. It is truly a pleasure to be the general manager.
BIC: Can you say more about Stolthaven's wastewater services?
WATT: We are a Centralized Waste Treatment (CWT) facility permitted under the Clean Water Act (CWA), with an on-site laboratory for quick wastewater acceptance analysis and the ability to accept off-site oils, organics, bilge and ballast waters.
We specialize in treating nonhazardous wastewater streams in our biological wastewater treatment plant, which allows us to offer customers high-quality, responsive service at competitive rates on a first-come, first-served basis. Our wastewater treatment plant operates 24/7 and can receive wastewater from ships, barges, railcars, ISO containers and trucks. Biological treatment of wastewater has long been recognized as the responsible choice in the chemical industry and is a reliable treatment that you can trust.
BIC: What's next on the horizon for your site?
WATT: Looking ahead, the fundamentals remain unchanged. We expect continued growth, expansion and ongoing operational enhancements. By the time this article is printed, we should be well on our way with our next expansion project, and even then, we will still have sufficient space within our existing site to double our capacity in the future.
Stolthaven New Orleans houses Stolthaven's newest state-of-the-art terminal.
For more information, visit www.stolt-nielsen.com or call (281) 860-4968.