APM Terminals to boost WalMart hub

The sixth WalMart international distribution center, to be located in Irvington, Ala., will handle the firm’s import cargoes destined for its Regional Distribution Centers in the South. The recently completed Panama Canal widening project will permit vessels of up to 13,000 TEU capacity to bring new ventures to APM Terminals Mobile’s deep-water terminal strategically located on the Gulf Coast. The APM Terminals Mobile opened in 2008, but it’s adding two new super-Post Panamax STS cranes that are expected for delivery in June. It is also expanding the container yard by 20 acres as part of a $40 million infrastructure investment, which will increase the terminal’s annual throughput capacity to 500,000 TEUs. WalMart has 4,488 retail locations in the U.S.; and selected the Port City of Mobile, Ala., location with these new cargo handling and intermodal capabilities in mind. Mobile is also the point of entry for Airbus passenger plane components that represent another major business making site selections close to the port. The $135 million Irvington distribution center is scheduled to open in mid-2018, representing new annual container traffic of an estimated 50,000 TEUs per year via the Port of Mobile. (Source: Maritime Professional 04/01/17)