For Port NOLA, ‘Record’ Container Growth

“This record growth [in fiscal year 2024’s third quarter] is a direct result of our innovative logistic solutions during supply chain disruptions as shippers focus on diversifying their trade lanes,” Port NOLA President and CEO and New Orleans Public Belt (NOPB) CEO Brandy D. Christian said during a May 2 announcement (Port NOLA Photograph)

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) on May 2 reported moving a total of 133,845 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) during fiscal year 2024’s third quarter, representing a 19% increase year-over-year and a “record quarter with container volume not seen since the supply chain issues in 2021.”

The Port noted that throughput efficiency also remains high as “containerized import volumes continue to steadily climb, due in part to Port NOLA’s investment in four new ship to shore container cranes.”

During fiscal year 2024’s third quarter, loaded imports rose 19% and loaded exports were up 16% over the prior-year period, according to Port NOLA. Top import commodities include coffee from South America and Southeast Asia primarily, various chemicals from Mexico and North Europe, and wood products such as plywood from Asia and South America; top export commodities include plastics such as PVC, mainly to Asia, as well as various chemical products to North Europe and paper to Central America. Additionally, there were 100 vessel calls this quarter at Port NOLA, which it said were up 5% from the same period last year.

“This record growth is a direct result of our innovative logistic solutions during supply chain disruptions as shippers focus on diversifying their trade lanes,” Port NOLA President and CEO and New Orleans Public Belt (NOPB) CEO Brandy D. Christian said. “Our strategic alignment with the NOPB makes New Orleans the only U.S. city where deep-draft shipping coincides directly with a rail gateway that serves six major Class I railroads.”

“This upward trend is very encouraging and consistent with higher reliability in our weekly ocean carrier services,” added Amanda Coates, who was recently promoted to Chief Commercial Officer at Port NOLA. “It also translates into more steady volumes from month to month than those from previous quarters.”

Port NOLA recently announced setting a new record for its container-on-barge service, moving 20,500 containers by barge during calendar year 2023, “the highest since the service started in 2016 with the Port of Greater Baton Rouge and Ingram Marine Group Ingram Marine Group,.” According to the port, the partnership represents the largest container-on-barge network in the U.S. with connectivity to the nation’s heartland. Container-on-barge, it noted, moves an average of 30,000 TEUs per year between New Orleans, Port of Greater Baton Rouge, Memphis, and St. Louis. Container-on-barge volumes nationwide are expected to grow above 200,000 TEUs by 2050, Port NOLA reported.

Like the Uptown Napoleon Container Terminal, Port NOLA said its new downriver container terminal, the Louisiana International Terminal (LIT), will also be equipped to provide container-on-barge services. LIT, currently in the design and permitting phase, will be built in Violet, La., 17 miles downriver from the Crescent City Connection bridge, “eliminating air draft restrictions that limit the size of vessels that currently call on the Port of New Orleans,” according to Port NOLA. The new terminal will serve vessels of all sizes, it noted, “dramatically increasing Louisiana’s import and export capacity, foster strategic inland growth, and will allow the container-on-barge service to expand with a dedicated berth space designed for use.”

Port NOLA has been awarded $300 million in federal funding to assist in building LIT. Additionally, Louisiana lawmakers have provided nearly $30 million toward early development costs, and the state committed $50 million for the design of the St. Bernard Transportation Corridor that will connect the terminal to the interstate system. New Jersey-based Ports America and Geneva, Switzerland-based Mediterranean Shipping Company have also committed $800 million in private funding for the project. Construction is slated to begin next year, with the first berth opening in 2028.

Separately, the Port recently announced a new 10-year lease arrangement with site development firm The Kearney Companies, Inc., which it called a “milestone” in the longstanding relationship between Port NOLA, The Kearney Companies, and NOPB, which provides rail service to its facilities and a connection to all six Class I railroads.