NOLA port eyeing 2nd terminal

About 100 miles north of where the mouth of the Mississippi River meets the Gulf of Mexico in St. Bernard Parish, La., the Port of New Orleans is in an early phase of plans for a second container port terminal in anticipation of significant growth by 2019-20. The port authority recently authorized up to $300,000 to be awarded to Los Angeles-based AECOM Technical Services to conduct multiple evaluations of the 675-acre property, known as the Sinclair site, which has been identified as an ideal location for the new facility. The first of these studies will cover navigation and wharf engineering issues; followed by examinations of potential yard layout options, community impacts; and environmental concerns related to the construction of the cargo terminal, according to Michelle Ganon, NOLA port authority’s VP of public affairs. The site is owned by the non-profit Meraux Foundation. The property is large enough to potentially accommodate three new ship berths and associated facilities. A potential $1B development around this second container terminal, and additions upstream in New Orleans, is part of the port’s “Gateway Master Plan” that is expected to be released over the next few months, and would more than double NOLA’s annual handling capacity. Analysts are predicting a 400,000-TEU increase in containerized cargo from plastic resins alone from 2017-20. Port NOLA tenant TCI Packaging, a logistics and warehousing services provider that packages resin for export, is already planning a $36.5 million investment to construct a new “Mega-Plastics District” at the port that will grow the firm’s resin packaging capacity 180 percent by 2019. In January, Port NOLA President/CEO Brandy Christian said plans for the Sinclair site call for "more than just a container terminal,” and that the goal was to create a full-service logistics hub that attracts businesses reliant on access to deep-water marine facilities. (Source: American Shipper 03/12/18)