The Port of Iberia is another step further in dredging the Acadiana Gulf of Mexico Access Channel (AGMAC). The AGMAC would allow dredging of a 16-foot deep channel from the Port of Iberia to the Gulf of Mexico via the Intracoastal Canal. Craig Romero, Port Executive Director, stated that $13.5 million has been received from the state to begin Phase I. The first step to prepare for the dredging is to lower five pipelines to required depth at the Commercial Canal between the port and the Intracoastal Waterway. This work is slated to begin in July 2020. Improved bulkheads to 20 feet inside the port have already been completed at a cost of $29 Million dollars over the past 5 years. Romero emphasized the importance of the channel to Port businesses to remain competitive. “Dynamic, Omega, Frank’s…they are all being denied the ability to bid on projects because of navigation charts showing a low depth at the Port of Iberia,” Romero said.
