Freight News, Sea

Louisiana Ports Team For Maritime Future

[ April 19, 2024   //   Gary G Burrows ]

The Port of Baton Rouge said it is witnessing the synergies of advanced cooperation among Louisiana’s ports, as the advantages of strategic alliances drive economic growth, efficiencies and competitiveness.
Baton Rouge’s container-on-barge service, which it initiated in 2016, and a partnership with the Port of New Orleans, are monuments to the ports’ operational success.
Though it suffered from low water levels on the Mississippi River, the container-on-barge service has rebounded since 2022. Its success is underscored by the expansion of Baton Rouge’s container storage year, which can now handle nearly 1,800 containers.
Beyond the immediate operational successes of this service, the two ports are driving broader economic and strategic benefits of synergy, led by the forthcoming Louisiana International Terminal in St. Bernard Parish. Spearheaded by the Port of New Orleans, LIT is poised to further revolutionize container movement along the Mississippi River. This ambitious project to boost the state’s container handling capacities will impact the state’s and nation’s economy through job creation, enhanced trade capacities and increased global competitiveness, said Jay Hardman, the Port of Baton Rouge’s executive director.
“We’ve had a good working relationship with New Orleans in the past and believe our growth potential ties into the building of the LIT terminal,” Hardman said. “It will put the Mississippi River and the Port of New Orleans on the map as far as a container port and take them and the state of Louisiana’s economy well into the future.”
Scheduled to be operational by 2028, the LIT is expected to generate 32,000 new jobs nationwide – 18,000 here in Louisiana and 4,300 in St. Bernard Parish – as well as more than US$1 billion in total new state and local tax revenue by 2050.
This Baton Rouge-New Orleans collaboration serves as a powerful case study for the potential of unified efforts among Louisiana’s ports. In a landscape marked by calls for greater efficiency, enhanced federal grant acquisition and the reduction of redundant services, the success of this partnership has not only yielded tangible benefits, but also highlighted the strategic advantage of a coordinated approach.
“We are poised to expand this service even further in the coming years,” said Brandy D. Christian, Port NOLA president and CEO. “This is one more example of Port NOLA working alongside our partners to provide innovative solutions for global supply chain disruptions while simultaneously honoring a commitment to sustainability.”
Their ongoing partnership have not only set a precedent, but also laid the groundwork for a more integrated, cooperative future.
“If we work together as an association of ports, we can collaborate on grants and, ultimately, the establishment of America’s Marine Highway from Memphis to New Orleans,” Hardman added. “We are all strongly united, and we look forward to more collaborative efforts, both big and small.”

Tags: Port of Baton Rouge