La. ports are ‘dominant’ in the nation

By Nayita Wilson
Contributing Writer

Louisiana ports are among the highest-performing ports in the nation, according to Global Trade Magazine’s Top 50 Power Ports.

The report ranked the Port of South Louisiana, the largest tonnage port in the western hemisphere, as the No. 1 power port in the nation. The Port of South Louisiana stretches 54 miles across the Mississippi River and reported moving approximately 307 million in total tonnage in 2017, outperforming ports of Houston, Mobile, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Los Angeles, Charleston and Seattle.

The Port of New Orleans ranked No. 4. The port handled 1.1 million cruise passengers in 2017 and is the only seaport in the nation served by all six Class I rail lines, 50 ocean carriers, 16 barge lines and 75 truck lines.

The Port of Baton Rouge ranked No. 8. The port is located on the Mississippi River approximately 230 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. It handles domestic and international cargoes transporting goods such as asphalt, barite, limestone, carbon black, coal, coffee, grain, forest products, biomass products, plastics, liquid bulk chemicals, etc.

Plaquemines Port ranked No. 11. The port is anticipating more than $9 billion in private investment from Venture Global for a liquefied natural gas facility expected to be completed in 2021.

Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson said the rankings demonstrate the state’s “dominant” position at the mouth of the Mississippi River and along the Gulf of Mexico.

Pierson said, “Louisiana ports power Louisiana’s economy and the nation’s economy. The rankings are also meaningful in Washington D.C. as we compete for federal dollars deployed through the Army Corps of Engineers for improvements, dredging and infrastructure improvements.”

According to Pierson, Louisiana’s ports are poised to grow in areas such as agriculture, containers, liquefied natural gas, energy and chemicals, giving them an advantage in addressing challenges surrounding dredging and modernization.

Economically, Louisiana ports are creating opportunities for investment, jobs, industrial growth and intermodal capacity.

The state operates the Port Priority program, which provides $40 million annually for qualified port projects. In addition, ports are independent political subdivisions, and some are supported by local property taxes. They also use independent revenue streams to create jobs and investment, often working in partnership with the state.

“Many top-performing industries are on the water and use our ports as part of their critical logistics linkage – moving their products to global markets or moving raw materials into their facilities. Many of the companies are positioned to continue to grow and expand, due to this powerful logistics advantage – not just in ports, but in concert with rail, highways and airports,” Pierson told The Louisiana Weekly.

The Port of Lake Charles ranked No. 12. The port is a deepwater seaport along the Calcasieu Ship Channel and extending into the Gulf of Mexico. The port’s main cargoes include agricultural food products, forest products, aluminum, steel, petroleum products, project cargoes, barite and rutile.

This article originally published in the July 16, 2018 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.