The Port of Lake Charles is the thirteenth-busiest seaport in the United States, the fourth-largest liner service seaport in the U.S. Gulf, and a major West Gulf container load center. The City Docks in Lake Charles are the main hub of shipping activity. The Calcasieu Ship Channel provides direct access to the Gulf of Mexico downstream. The ship channel, which has a projected depth of and a bottom width of , intersects the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway just north of Calcasieu Lake.
