In 2025, the State of Mississippi exported $14.2 billion in goods, a 3.6% increase from the previous year and a nearly 40% increase from $10.2 billion in 2020.
The state’s ports and the industrial infrastructure near them are a big reason why.
The Ports of Gulfport, Pascagoula and Bienville provide global market access while connecting businesses to the Intracoastal Waterway, four railroads, three airports, five interstates and four-lane U.S. highways. The three ports also happen to be part of Mississippi Coast Foreign-Trade Zone 92, which Site Selection magazine in 2026 ranked No. 12 in the nation by FTZ impact — an impact estimated at $10 billion annually.
FTZ 92 consists of 5,000 acres of secured sites at airports, ports and industrial parks located within Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties. Moreover, the zone has assisted companies in securing special purpose manufacturing subzones in the three-county area that confer the same FTZ advantages (deferred, reduced or avoided duties) even though the physical facilities are some distance from the port of entry and FTZ property.
How globally connected is FTZ 92? Local authorities in May 2026 hosted a delegation from Japan’s shipbuilding industry who received “an up-close look at the infrastructure, workforce and operational strengths that continue to establish Coastal Mississippi as a hub for shipbuilding and the growth of the maritime industry,” said a release from the Harrison County Development Commission (HCDC). “As global demand for maritime innovation continues to rise, the importance of collaboration across borders also increases.”
Mississippi Coast Foreign-Trade Zone 92 — encompassing the ports of Gulfport, Pascagoula and Bienville — was ranked by Site Selection magazine in May 2026 at No. 12 in the nation by FTZ impact — an impact estimated at $10 billion annually.
That includes reaching into the Americas as well. July 2025 saw Jorge Humberto Rivas, the mayor of Rionegro, Colombia, visit the area to renew a sister city agreement with Gulfport and Biloxi that was first signed in 2019 by Rionegro Mayor Andrés Julián, now the governor of the Colombian state of Antioquia.
The sort of relationship building that occurs on such occasions is also present in the region’s continuous improvement. Evidence of that came just before the Colombian mayor’s visit when the HCDC announced in June 2025 that construction was complete on a 680-foot bulkhead at Gulf Ship, L.L.C., located on the Industrial Seaway in Gulfport. The project was made possible through RESTORE Act grant funding, with support from both the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
“We are proud to contribute to the continued success of Edison Chouest Offshore and the growing momentum along the Seaway,” said HCDC Executive Director Bill Lavers. “This effort highlights the power of partnerships from the public and private sectors in supporting Gulfport’s industrial future.”
A closer glance at Port Pascagoula, the Port of Gulfport and the Port of Vicksburg offers a clear picture of emerging industrial connections with global reach.
Port Pascagoula
This southeastern Mississippi port’s two harbors (Pascagoula River & Bayou Casotte) include a combination of public and private terminals handling a combined 32 million tons of cargo through its channels annually. Port Pascagoula currently ranks in the top 30 ports in the United States and No. 1 in Mississippi for total gross tonnage.
Employing more than 11,000 individuals, the Ingalls Shipbuilding division of Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) is the largest manufacturing employer in Mississippi. For 87 years, Ingalls has designed, built and maintained amphibious ships and destroyers for the U.S. Navy. In April 2026, the company announced it had been awarded a $283 million contract by the U.S. Navy to perform FF(X) class frigate lead yard support activities for the next generation of small surface combatant vessels. “The new frigates will be constructed alongside production lines that currently support DDG 51 Flight III destroyers, LHA assault ships, LPD Flight II amphibious transport docks, and modernization activities for the Zumwalt class guided missile destroyers,” the company stated.
To meet urgent Navy demand and support construction of next-generation platforms, Ingalls Shipbuilding has invested more than $1 billion in modernizing its infrastructure, facilities and toolsets, the company has stated. “HII as a whole is actively working to expand U.S. shipbuilding capacity by, among other things, increasing the number of distributed shipbuilding partners, collaborating with international manufacturers and evaluating the addition of another U.S. shipyard.”
Talent is part of that picture. A few days after the award announcement, HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division held a “signing day” ceremony to recognize 49 high school seniors from across the Gulf Coast who have completed the Ingalls Shipbuilder Academy and accepted contingent employment offers with the company. Since the program’s launch in 2016, more than 500 students have graduated and transitioned toward skilled careers at Ingalls.
Port of Gulfport
After nearly 125 years in existence, the Mississippi State Port Authority at Gulfport is on a strong growth trajectory fueled by a $1 billion restoration project completed in 2022 and the 2023 signing of an agreement with Ports America, the nation’s largest stevedoring company, which includes a $43 million investment into the development of a currently vacant terminal on the Port. The Port of Gulfport is the second-largest U.S. importer of green fruit and thus has a strong foundation in refrigerated cargo handling, with 1,400 refrigerated container plugs. The port describes itself as “a key gateway for north-south container trade and breakbulk cargo, with on-dock Class I rail service via the CN and CPKC,” in addition to being a designated Strategic Seaport with a direct rail connection to Camp Shelby and an active relationship with the Naval Construction Battalion (Seabees) stationed locally.
In May 2026, the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration awarded the Port of Gulfport $11.25 million in grant funds from the 2025 Port Infrastructure Development Program that will help fund a project that strengthens the Port’s role in national defense, supports intermodal and container growth and reinforces resilience of critical infrastructure.
Vicksburg
A collaborative effort involving the State of Mississippi, the City of Vicksburg, Warren County and Entergy Mississippi, the Mississippi River Inland Port Complex offers 1,238 acres of industrially zoned land safeguarded by levees. It boasts direct access to the Mississippi River, strategic transportation routes and a robust array of utility capabilities.
Situated four miles from Interstate 20, via four-lane U.S. Highway 61, the Mississippi River Inland Port Complex provides connectivity to all major markets in the United States. Positioned merely 45 minutes west of the capital city (Jackson, MS) the complex provides easy connectivity to a labor force of over 727,000 people within a 45-minute drive.
