Louisiana transfer terminal given approval

The terminal is designed to improve trade and enhance America’s competitiveness amid increased shipping demand.   This will be achieved by opening up a new supply chain via the Mississippi River and its tributaries that reaches 32 states and Canada (over 14,500 miles of inland waterways), while generating jobs and reducing environmental concerns related to the transportation industry.

The terminal will be located just east of the mouth of the Mississippi River off the Louisiana Gulf Coast, which benefits from permanent 21 m (70 ft) of deep water making it not only capable of accommodating the larger container vessels expected to transit the expanded Panama Canal but also, ultra-large container vessels (ULCVs) with a capacity of 18,000 teu that are entering service.

Employing a ‘hub and spoke’ system to and from America’s heartland, the terminal will become a transfer point for container vessels arriving from Asia and other regions, as well as for US exports.    It is expected to expand America’s shipping capacity by more than 2m teu annually, with the goal of ultimately expanding capacity up to 3.5m teu.