# Lake Charles (US LCH)

**UN/LOCODE:** US LCH  
**Country:** United States  
**Water Body:** Gulf of Mexico; North Atlantic Ocean  
**Harbor Size:** Small  
**Harbor Type:** River (Natural)  
**GPS:** 30.2167, -93.2500

The Calcasieu Ship Channel, roughly 100 km long, ties Lake Charles (US LCH) in south-west Louisiana to the Gulf of Mexico and defines this port as an energy hub first and foremost. Around 65 million tonnes moved through the channel in 2024, more than half of it international, driven by LNG. Cameron LNG operates three liquefaction trains with up to 14.95 MTPA of export capacity. Venture Global's Calcasieu Pass declared commercial operation (COD) on 15 April 2025 and sold 137.5 TBtu in 37 cargos in the second quarter of 2026 alone. The port's public terminals handle dry and breakbulk commodities such as petroleum coke, cement, grain, lumber, limestone, rutile, barite and chemicals, while private docks serve major refining and petrochemical operators. Inland connections run via Interstate 10, the BNSF and Union Pacific railroads and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway for barges. U.S. Customs and Border Protection clears cargo, supported by a Foreign-Trade Zone. Planned investments are expected to add some 92.7 million tonnes of annual capacity, potentially lifting total throughput toward 157 million tonnes. For containers there is no scheduled liner service; shippers should look to Houston, New Orleans or Gulfport.

## Transit Times & Routes

- [Los Angeles → Shanghai](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/transit-time/los-angeles-shanghai)
- [Los Angeles → Shenzhen](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/transit-time/los-angeles-shenzhen)
- [Los Angeles → Guangzhou](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/transit-time/los-angeles-guangzhou)
- [Los Angeles → Hong Kong](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/transit-time/los-angeles-hong-kong)
- [Los Angeles → Tokyo](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/transit-time/los-angeles-tokyo)
- [Los Angeles → Busan](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/transit-time/los-angeles-busan)

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*Freight Academy — Seaport Profile: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/seaports/lake-charles-port-us-lch](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/seaports/lake-charles-port-us-lch)*

*Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/seaports/en/lake-charles-port-us-lch](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/seaports/en/lake-charles-port-us-lch)*

*LLM-Summary (JSON): https://www.freight-academy.com/api/v1/seaports/lake-charles-port-us-lch/llm-summary?lang=en*