Port Gets Retooling for 21st Century Commerce

One of Louisiana's most important economic development assets has been there all along - the mighty Mississippi River. Several miles from where the river meets the Gulf of Mexico and the global marketplace beyond is the Port of New Orleans. For many generations, this historic port has been the economic engine behind the Crescent City's growth.
      Since the days of Napoleon, the river has played a central role in the national economy, so it is only fitting that the port's newest container terminal be dubbed the Napoleon Container Terminal, its location at Napoleon Avenue by the Mississippi River notwithstanding. Open since 2003, the $120-million, 61-acre terminal features four gantry cranes, two 1,000-foot berths and the capacity to handle 366,000 TEUS (20-ft.-equivalent units) annually. A twin facility is slated for construction on a site adjacent to the new terminal.
      The significance of the port to Louisiana - and to the nation - cannot be overstated. "Eighty percent of all of the cargo that comes into the Port of New Orleans moves into the Midwest and Mississippi River valley and on up to the East Coast and as far north as Pittsburgh," says Gary P. LaGrange, the port's president and CEO. "This is the largest port in the United States with regards to rail infrastructure," he adds, citing six trunk lines and a railhead. This rail network links New Orleans to locations throughout North America. "Intermodal transportation connectivity is quite significant and a serious advantage for the port," adds LaGrange, pointing to the vast river network

Gary LaGrange

besides the Mississippi and the extensive highway system serving the region.
      The port historically has been a break bulk port and the largest importer of steel, rubber, plywood, forest products and coffee in the United States. Some of this cargo is transitioning to containers. "As that transition takes place, we are poised and ready to put as much money as we can into the infrastructure facilities needed to make that transition successful," says LaGrange. "Break bulk will continue to be the primary player here, but we see a huge, new role for container activity. We have the room and the space at the Port of New Orleans alone to facilitate container growth to over one million containers by 2016 or 2017."
      The port has entered into a memorandum of understanding with the St. Bernard Port, Harbor and Terminal District in nearby Chalmette, La., to study the feasibility of joint venturing in the construction of a new container terminal, whereby the two ports would share future revenue. The site where the former container facilities were located, on the Industrial Canal linking the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, is becoming available for retrofitting for more modern facilities that would handle Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA)-related cargo.
      "Even if CAFTA does not become a reality and bring the smaller container vessels to the port, we are out marketing that area right now in an effort to bring more cargo to Louisiana and the Port of New Orleans from Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean," says LaGrange.