PANAMA
GRAIN RECAPS
i
By Lindsey Bowers
n late January, the United Ag Grain Department had the opportunity to visit Louis-Dreyfus
Commodities at their Port of Houston location
in Galena Park. Lindsey Bowers, Steven Craig, Haley
Henly, Denny Krenek, and Drew Mahaffey were able
to see and learn about the day-to-day operations at the
large grain facility.
The Louis-Dreyfus elevator was completed in 1979
after the explosion of Goodpasture Inc., which was across
the slip from where it currently stands. The elevator has a
rated storage capacity of 6.2 million bushels and a maximum rated loading capability of 120,000 bushels per hour.
They receive trucks on two pits at a maximum rate of 30
trucks per hour and can unload rail on three rail pits that
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can handle a maximum of 24 cars an hour. The facility is
completely automated, allowing operators full control of all
elevator equipment.
When the United Ag group arrived, Louis-Dreyfus was
in the midst of loading their first Chinese Panamax Ship
with grain sorghum. The ship, MV Hanjin Rosario, was
particularly special to the grain group because it held a
large percentage of grain sorghum from United Ag.
The MV Hanjin Rosario was built in 2013. It arrived in
the Port of Houston in mid-January following a voyage
from Brazil to Port Lavaca, carrying a load of coal and
bauxite. From there, it was cleaned out before arriving
in Houston.
The vessel has H