VLS Plaquemine Point Shipyard Keeps Barges and Commerce Moving on the Lower Mississippi River
Barges depart the one-stop shop at VLS Plaquemine Point Shipyard spotlessly clean, in top repair and ready to move raw materials and finished petrochemical products safely to their next destination.
Quality That Keeps Customers Coming Back
VLS Plaquemine Point Shipyard is a one-stop shop known for high-quality barge cleaning, maintenance, and repair strategically located on the banks of the Lower Mississippi River, a few miles south of Baton Rouge. Our prime location near some of the largest refineries and petrochemical manufacturing plants in the U.S. positions VLS as an integral player in petrochemical and LPG distribution on the busiest portion of the busiest river for commerce in the country. Barges transporting chemicals, crude oil and liquid petroleum gases (LPG) are vital to the U.S. economy and global trade and accounted for 35-40% of the annual total tonnage on this stretch of the Mississippi in 2025.
Our location is just one reason our customers – including large publicly traded, family-owned and investment broker-owned companies – trust their assets to VLS Plaquemine Point Shipyard. Our goal is to meet every customer specification to the highest standards, for every customer, every time. VLS crews serviced an average of 50 barges per week in 2025, and not one barge was sent back to the dock for rework. In surveys and periodic meetings, our customers point out that the consistent high quality of our work and competitive pricing are why they continue doing business with VLS. Our customers are confident that their barges will get a time-efficient, professional cleaning and arrive at the next port ready to load product.
Full-service, Fully Accessible Facility
At Plaquemine Point, we offer full-service chemical barge cleaning and repair 24 hours a day for marine barges of all sizes. We’ve invested in the most advanced equipment and modern technology in the region. VLS Environmental Services’ expertise in hazardous and non-hazardous waste management is the foundation of our approach to marine services that include:
- Comprehensive cleaning, maintenance and waste removal solutions, including purging barges for safety and contamination prevention and environmentally responsible cleaning with steaming, nitrogen purging and LPG flaring. VLS handles non-vapor control cargos like diesel, soybean oil, glycol and caustic, as well as chlorinated solvents.
- Our team members use checklists for each type of material and service, as well as overall cleanliness, to ensure that every aspect of the job is completed thoroughly and according to customer requirements. For example, they conduct chemical testing per customer instructions, open and close all valves to confirm they’re operable, soap test all flanges for leaks and check United States Coast Guard (USCG) paperwork. Before the barge leaves the dock, they verify readiness for departure and check signs and markings, all rope and winch wires and, if required, the marine chemist certificate. Finally, they inspect and photograph the barge’s condition. This attention to detail, for every customer and every job, is a hallmark of our marine services at Plaquemine Point.
- Marine Gas Free services requiring marine vapor control of flammable liquids and gases, permitted by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LADEQ), produce a safe and enviormentally controlled solution for customers. VLS removes flammable liquids and gases and obtains a marine chemist certificate for entry before entering the barge or starting maintenance to protect worker safety, reduce ignition hazards and ensure barges are prepared for service. We also have this capability for chemical and LPG barges at our VLS Shipyard in Port Arthur, Texas.
- VLS Plaquemine Point Shipyard has the only LPG flare on the Mississippi River between Greenville, Mississippi, and the Gulf of Mexico. We provide flare, inerting and maintenance services for pressurized LPG cargoes.
Specialty Cleaning
VLS Plaquemine Point Shipyard provides eco-friendly, safe and efficient marine fleet repair, including:
- Routine minor topside repairs, from safely removing and replacing faulty valves to repairing leaking gaskets.
- USCG mandated repairs for barges on specified anniversary dates. VLS surveys the barges and completes all the required tasks necessary to ensure the barge passes USCG inspections.
Every service reflects our commitment to safety, environmental responsibility and sustainability. In 2025, our VLS Marine Services locations companywide recovered a total of more than 18,200 tons of material for beneficial reuse, including sandblasting material. As waste disposal experts, we properly dispose of all materials we remove from barges that cannot be reused.
Our Plaquemine Point facility is easily accessible and can accommodate one barge on drydock, up to eight barges on the repair dock, up to six barges on the cleaning dock and two barges on the LPG dock.
Professional Service Starts With VLS Employees
Over the past 20 years, VLS Plaquemine Point Shipyard has built a reputation for deep industry knowledge. When chemical barge owners need specialized cleanings, their first call is to VLS employees who are known on the Lower Mississippi River for their expertise. Our employees receive extensive training on safety, competent person training on hazard recognition and mitigation, handling specific products, and personal protective equipment (PPE).
In addition, all VLS employees complete compliance training on workplace ethics, business ethics, anti-bribery, and anti-harassment, as well as training on soft skills and technical skills. We also share and reinforce our core values with employees: innovation, partnerships, safety, integrity, and employees.
We believe VLS values, training and investments in our people contribute to our ability to deliver consistently high-quality service and results at Plaquemine Point. In a survey conducted in April 2026, 100% of marine services customers agreed that VLS communicates with them effectively and conducts business in an open and honest way. A large majority of customers also gave us very high scores for valuing customers, responsiveness to customer needs, ease of doing business and excellent customer service and support.
For more information, download our VLS Plaquemine Point Shipyard brochure here or visit vlses.com to learn more about our marine services in Sulphur, Louisiana, and Port Arthur, Texas.
Media Contacts
Heather Wendt
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