ST. PAUL, Minn. -- October 10, 2006
Chart also reflects requests of mariners
A new NOAA nautical chart that reflects post-hurricane changes that occurred in a critical shipping channel will be formally presented October 17, 2006 at a ceremony in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The new NOAA chart, number 11339, is also a result of NOAA listening to the needs of commercial mariners who were asking for a full size chart that extended more seaward and had additional inbound charting information.
Chart 11339 covers the Port of Lake Charles and Calcasieu Ship Channel. A NOAA press release dated October 17 states, “The chart will support the region’s growing energy industry by providing critical navigational information. It will incorporate navigational changes that occurred in the critical energy shipping channels as the result of the 2005 hurricane season.”
According to Richard Sillcox, Chief of NOAA’s Chart Update Service, “Marine safety is of utmost importance to NOAA. When mariners speak, we listen, especially when we are dealing with commercial shipping, where positive changes can benefit society. It’s not often that we create a new NOAA nautical chart but after listening to the needs of commercial shippers, and of course as the result of hurricane-related changes, we felt it prudent to create a new chart.”
The Port of Lake Charles and Calcasieu Ship Channel is the nation’s 12th largest port and plays a critical role in the nation’s supply of energy products from the Gulf of Mexico. The new chart will improve the safety in moving large ships into and out of the port.
Chart 11339, as well as all NOAA nautical charts, are printed to order “on demand” by OceanGrafix and it agents across the U.S. Many agents have dedicated OceanGrafix remote printers on site. These printers are hooked into an OceanGrafix database and they automatically download the latest NOAA cartographic data every night so that each OceanGrafix NOAA chart is 100% up to date at time of printing.
Larry Kocon, OceanGrafix director of operations, states, “We’re pleased to be the exclusive NOAA partner in offering commercial and recreational mariners the very latest NOAA cartographic data on a ‘print on demand’ basis. Up to date, full-size NOAA nautical charts add to mariners’ safety.”
