Cenac Marine Services and its CEO, Benny Cenac, have donated a fully refurbished barge to South Louisiana Community College’s Workforce Development Training program. In a ceremony held at Cenac headquarters Tuesday, the fully restored barge was presented to SLCC administration and staff.

The need for updated equipment became evident during a visit to Cenac by Capt. Carl Moore, assistant dean of marine operations. The barge, measuring 158'x40', replicates a standard Cenac tank barge and will be used for the school’s training of the next generation of maritime industry leaders. The barge will be located in Munson Slip in Houma, La. SLCC tankerman training will take place there when utilized.

Jermaine Ford, SLCC's associate vice president for economic and workforce development said in a prepared statement, "When partners like Cenac Marine Services make an equipment donation like this reconditioned barge, they are directly contributing to a well-qualified workforce in our region. This barge will be a classroom for our students and is a learning environment that is second-to-none in providing real-world experience. Our students will be better prepared to tackle jobs in the oil and gas industry because of this partnership and this donation."

“Terrebonne Parish is and always will be near and dear to our hearts here at Cenac as our birthplace,” Cenac said in a prepared statement. “This company will always invest in continuing to produce the best marine personnel in the business. This also assists in making training more readily available to the area. We are all for supporting maritime education, especially so close to home.”