Port becoming haven for Haynesville Shale companies
By Bobbie J. Clark • bobbieclark@gannett.com • May 19, 2009


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A handful of Haynesville Shale-related companies have inquired about using the Port of Shreveport-Bossier for some of their operations.



There are three companies at the port that are involved with the Haynesville Shale — C&S Service and Supply Co. Ltd., Carbo Ceramics and Mercer Transportation.

"The port currently has operations in support of the shale, including pipe storage and distribution, frac sand and aggregates used for drilling pads and access roads," said Eric England, the port's executive director.

While all those companies have been involved with the port for some time, the activity surrounding the Haynesville Shale — a natural gas formation in northwest Louisiana — has added a level of diversity and growth for the port and its tenants, England added.

The shale activity also has attracted the attention of other companies like Frac Tech Services Inc. The east Texas company has a location in Bossier City and is looking to lease a 10-acre tract at the port for storage silos.

Frac Tech specializes in the fracturing, which releases natural gas from the shale formation.

Lease negotiations are ongoing between the port and Frac Tech. The company would lease the intermodal yard for a year with an option to renew for two more years, England said.

Through the years, the intermodal yard primarily has been used for storage. "For example, its previous uses include storage of manufactured wind turbine towers," England said.

"It's an approximate 10-acre site, industrial zoned with rail siding and access to the Union Pacific rail."

Other companies interested in the port include Northwest Pipe Co. and Midwestern Pipeline Services.

Northwest Pipe has operations in Bossier City, where it manufactures various sizes of pipes used for drilling. Midwestern Pipeline does coating and welding of pipe.

The port is exploring the possibility of doing a bond issue with Northwest Pipe, but nothing has been finalized, England said.

Interest in the port from the shale-related companies is a welcome addition, England said.

"It's enabled the client base of the port to be diversified and provide opportunities for growth in multiple sectors," he said. "In addition to the employment created, commerce is generated through the port complex, which is in keeping with mission and goals of (port) commission.

"We expect the overall volume of commerce through the port facilities to increase in the coming years associated with the (Haynesville) Shale," England said.


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