Port board approves lease with Intercoast Materials for Transit Shed 3 cement terminal

The Lake Charles Harbor and Terminal District voted Sept. 25 to authorize an agreement allowing Intercoast Materials to use Transit Shed 3 to develop a bulk cement terminal, the board said at its regular meeting.

Mister Veil introduced the submission describing Transit Shed 3 as a 55,000-square-foot waterfront building suited to bulk cargo. Ricardo Camacho, who identified himself as CEO of Intercoast Materials, told the board the company plans to invest immediately in a first-phase loading station and storage improvements. “The first phase of our project requires transit shed number 3 so we can start investing immediately between 6 to $8,000,000 in a loading station,” Camacho said, adding that a second phase could require an additional $28 to $30 million and include rail-loading capability and expanded storage.

Camacho said the company is negotiating a first right of refusal on adjacent land that could be used for expansion and expected to finalize engineering in early 2026 with a final investment decision by mid-2026. After a motion and second, the board chair declared the lease authorization approved; no roll-call vote tally was recorded in the meeting transcript.

The lease covers use of Transit Shed 3 and a triangular parcel adjacent to the shed, and Intercoast said it would import cement for the local ready-mix and construction market. Company representatives said they spend much of their time in Lake Charles and planned staged investment tied to demand and rail access.

No environmental reviews, permit conditions or specific lease rent terms were presented in the public remarks recorded in the transcript.