Port NOLA Touts 2021 Milestones in All Four Strains of Small business

NEW ORLEANS — From the Port of New Orleans:

Port NOLA finished the yr in 2021 strengthening its financial benefit to the location and condition with wins across all four of its lines of company: cargo, rail, industrial true estate and cruise. The calendar year shut with breakbulk and bulk volumes up 46% from calendar yr 2020. Port NOLA moved 2.4 million shorter tons previous calendar year in comparison to 1.7 million limited tons in 2020.

Port NOLA proceeds to see encouraging progress in its breakbulk business in part thanks to its terminal operators’ diverse handling capabilities for commodities ranging from steel, normal rubber, project cargo and plywood to cargoes shifting in tremendous sacks these kinds of as sand, tapioca flour and even espresso. Owing to international container tools shortages and current industry dynamics, several shippers have turned to breakbulk transport solutions at Port NOLA. The most significant boosts in breakbulk and bulk cargo were being pushed by metal, plywood and tremendous sack cargo.

The Port also continued to make considerable development in infrastructure investment in the Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal with the arrival of four new 100-foot-gauge container gantry cranes in December of 2021. The new gantry cranes, envisioned to be operational in spring of this yr, increase to the around $100 million the latest financial investment into the recent terminal, which serves as Louisiana’s only intercontinental container port.

“Ending the year with such strong breakbulk volumes highlights Port NOLA’s assorted logistics alternatives as we carry on to posture ourselves as an choice gateway for the duration of source chain disruptions,” explained Brandy D. Christian, president and CEO Port NOLA and CEO of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB). “As carriers and shippers continue on to search to Port NOLA as the gulf gateway of alternative, we are dedicated to investing in our state’s present maritime belongings, although also earning development on a next container facility that will provide vessels of all measurements, and produce extra work and possibility for Louisiana.”

Investing for the Future

With the modern acquisition of approximately 1,100 acres of residence in Violet, Louisiana, Port NOLA achieved a important milestone towards growth of the Louisiana International Terminal (LIT) —  a new container facility in St. Bernard Parish that will complement Port NOLA’s uptown facility and satisfy developing volume calls for.

The LIT project commenced with the acquisition of riverfront acreage in December 2020, together with first thanks diligence research and proactive neighborhood engagement as component of the in general permitting process. When fully produced, the 400-acre terminal will provide as a maritime centerpiece and financial catalyst, with nearby assets out there for a logistics connected business park and the opportunity to ensure group reward for citizens. At opening, the terminal will assistance more than 600 positions in St. Bernard Parish and 2,500 statewide, together with an believed $1.3 million in taxes locally and $5.5 million statewide.

With a continued concentration on greater capability and abilities in 2021, the Jourdan Highway expansion undertaking is also nicely underway in partnership with Lineage Logistics which broke ground in April 2021. This is a $42 million enlargement of the Jourdan Road chilly-storage facility in New Orleans East. One of two key Lineage facilities at Port NOLA, the chilly-storage intricate at Jourdan Street along the Interior Harbor Navigation Canal will expand from 160,000 sq. ft to 304,000 square ft and is projected to open up in May possibly 2022. 

The price-included exports of Lineage Logistics will continue on to bolster Louisiana’s $1.6 billion poultry sector, which includes virtually 300 business broiler producers during 11 parishes. This enlargement is essential, due to escalating globally demand from customers for U.S. poultry. Poultry is constantly a prime commodity for Port NOLA shifting above 500 thousand lbs in 2021.

The advancement of e-commerce and just in time shipping and delivery has also made new chances to attract distribution and fulfillment facilities regionally. With Port NOLA’s multimodal entry, Louisiana is poised to be a distribution heart hub.

Port NOLA signed Memorandums of Comprehension with both equally St. Tammany Corporation and Tangipahoa Parish Financial Advancement to concentration on the want for distribution centers in 2021 to link the metro area additional mostly to make a major affect in attracting these distribution organizations.

Multimodal Advantage

The Port’s energy as a gateway to the Midwest continues to be a competitive advantage, and its intermodal connections to Memphis and Chicago via the CN and the Dallas Fort Value industry via the KCS continue to draw in new importers searching for alternative choices. On the inland waterway front, the Seacor-operated barge support that started off in 2016 moved shut to 30,000 TEUs and providers Memphis, St. Louis, Port of Larger Baton Rouge and Port NOLA.

The railroad also continues to see development, NOPB averaged 914 autos in storage for the calendar yr 2021, which was 189 extra automobile stored on typical just about every thirty day period by the railroad. Creating 2021 a record-breaking calendar year for storage volumes. NOPB rail volumes improved by more than 26,000 rail autos which was 16% raise in excess of 2020.

Resumption of Cruises

In the cruise sector, even though the ongoing pandemic has impacted the total market, there was reason to rejoice in 2021 with return to cruising from Port NOLA. This is a significant milestone right after cruises ended up absolutely shut down in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. River cruises resumed efficiently from the Port in March 2021 and ocean-going vessels in September 2021. Carnival was the initially to restart ocean-heading cruises that have ongoing to consistently drive business enterprise back again to the New Orleans industry.

With the return of Norwegian Cruise Line and Disney Cruise Line slated for February, Port NOLA is forecasting 285 sailings in the course of the 2022 calendar 12 months and anticipating practically 1 million passenger actions.

Green Initiatives

Planning for the future sustainably remains a strong aim for Port NOLA with continued success in the Cleanse Trip program which assists area truck drivers decrease emissions from Port drayage exercise by upgrading their trucks. The software replaced 18 vans in 2021 for a whole of 76 replacements considering that 2016. In June 2021, Clear Excursion was awarded the “Best Group Partnership” from Southeast Louisiana Cleanse Fuels Partnership.

In 2021, Port NOLA was also awarded a Lighthouse Award of Excellence for Environmental Improvement and Stakeholder Involvement by the AAPA for the Port Interior Harbor Financial Revitalization Strategy (PIER Approach).

“Looking ahead, we know that our state’s future financial security is dependent on our capability to meet up with recent and long term shipping and delivery and logistics wants,” said Christian. “As we celebrate our happy maritime legacy all through our 125th anniversary, we are also seeking ahead to the upcoming 125 years—as we operate to give the following generation of infrastructure.”