Port of New Orleans President and CEO Gary LaGrange touted those achievements during the 26th Annual State of the Port Address today hosted by the International Freight Forwarders and Customs Brokers Association of New Orleans.

“During the last few years we have seen a major economic resurgence, as our City provides the right conditions to encourage economic development and business investments,” LaGrange told the more than 200 stakeholders gathered at the Marriott Convention Center. “The Port of New Orleans is a major contributor to providing those conditions and our business leaders understand our future is tied to international trade.”

To plan that future, LaGrange applauded state Sen. Conrad Appel for his efforts establishing the Louisiana Office of International Commerce, a 23-member board housed within the Louisiana Economic Development Office, created during the 2012 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature. The Board’s goal is to formulate a single vision for Louisiana’s trade community.

“This effort is the culmination of years of work, which will bring Louisiana ports, economic development officials and trade-based businesses together to provide a focus for the entire international trade community,” LaGrange said.

Those efforts will build upon recent investments made by the Board of Commissioners of the Port. In May, Gov. Bobby Jindal cut the ribbon on a $36.4 million investment in the Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal, which added two new gantry cranes and 4.5 acres of container marshalling yard – bringing the terminal’s capacity to 640,000 twenty-foot-equivalent units per year. A week later, Port officials joined Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne to dedicate the Port’s new $20.1 million Julia Street Cruise Terminal, which more than doubled the Port’s cruise capacity.

In July, Gov. Jindal again joined Port officials to dedicate the $40.3 million Riverfront Cold Storage Facility at the Henry Clay Ave. Wharf. The 140,000 square-foot facility is now the largest blast-freeze operation in the Northern Hemisphere.

“That project is one of the most rewarding in my 36 years as a port director,” LaGrange said. “This state-of-the-art facility will generate $126 million in annual spending and add 125 direct jobs.”

In addition to investments in new projects, as of the end of the 2012 fiscal year, the Board had completed $94 million worth of repairs to facilities damaged by the storms of 2005.

“And I cannot leave out our customers and tenants, whose investments in equipment and facilities port-wide is sure to top the $100 million mark,” LaGrange said.

A few of those projects include Folgers’ $70 million investment to consolidate its operations from two other states in New Orleans; construction of 300,000 square feet of warehousing space for London Metal Exchange cargo and Transportation Consultants Inc. expansion at the Gov. Nicholls Street Wharf to provide value-added services for chemical exporters.

All of these investments, both public and private, increase opportunities for shippers within the Port and add to tonnage figures. LaGrange touted those cargo gains, as well.

In 2011, the Port handled a record 476,413 TEUs. Through the first six months of 2012, the Port handled 241,707 TEUs – outpacing last year’s figures for the same time period. So far in 2012, total general cargo is up 8.5 percent; buoyed by a 23 percent increase in break-bulk cargo. Double digit gains were realized in imported steel and aluminum and natural rubber imports are up more than 8 percent.

“Chemical products for export also saw a 6 percent gain so far in 2012, coming off a record year in 2011,” LaGrange said. “Those figures combined with a more than 3 percent increase in ship calls and your port is healthy and robust.”

New container services were also added in 2012, as CMA CGM and CSAV shipping lines added the Port to its Gulf Bridge Express to the Caribbean and Central and South American ports. ZIM Line returned service to New Orleans and recently Hamburg Sud announced a new service from New Orleans.

“Combined with previously existing carriers Hapag-Lloyd, Mediterranean Shipping Company, Seaboard Marine, Maesrk and Libra – the shipping opportunities from our container terminal are the best around,” LaGrange said.

Port officials are not resting on recent successes. Work will begin in 2013 on the Napoleon Avenue Intermodal Terminal to improve rail service and efficiency and capitalize on the six Class One railroads that service the Port. The project will be mostly funded by a $16.7 million TIGER grant the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded the Port. It will transform a 12-acre site into a modern, freight rail terminal and create additional container storage area.

“I want to thank Louisiana’s entire Congressional delegation for supporting this vital project, as well as Mayor Mitch Landrieu,” LaGrange said. “All of their support was critical to being awarded the highly competitive grant.”

LaGrange highlighted a record year for the cruise industry, as well. In 2012, the Port welcomed two year-round Carnival Cruise Line ships – the Carnival Conquest sailing year-round seven-day itineraries and the Carnival Elation sailing four- and five-day itineraries. In addition, the Port welcomed Royal Caribbean’s 3,114-passenger Voyager of the Seas, the largest cruise ship to ever call on the Port, and Norwegian Cruise Line’s 2,018-passenger Norwegian Spirit. Both are replaced this year with newer and larger vessels, Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas and the Norwegian Star.

“2011 was a record year for the cruise industry in New Orleans and in 2012 we plan to break the 1-million-passenger mark,” LaGrange said. “New Orleans is a favorite home-port for the cruise industry and one of the fastest-growing cruise ports in the nation.”

According to Cruise Lines International Association, cruise line spending in Louisiana topped $280 million in 2011 – up 35 percent compared to the year before.

“And we believe we will far exceed that impact this year,” LaGrange said.

To build upon cruise gains, the Port plans to begin construction on a third cruise ship terminal at its Poland Avenue Wharf, just downriver from the historic French Quarter, in 2013.

“All of these efforts are with eyes focused on building toward future success,” LaGrange said. “We will continue to develop our container capacity; continue to build on our strengths as a break-bulk and heavy-lift hub for this nation; continue to see value-added services and warehousing investments along our Inner Harbor; and continue to attract visitors from throughout the nation who enjoy cruising from New Orleans.”

Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Army (Civil Works) Jo-Ellen Darcy issued the Record of Decision Oct. 26, approving the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP).

“The Record of Decision affirms that this is a project of national significance,” said GPA Executive Director Curtis Foltz. “It is a major milestone culminating what has been a 15-year effort. It is proof once again this port is going to deliver.”

Corps of Engineers studies show that Post-Panamax vessels more efficiently served by a deeper harbour in Savannah will lower shipping costs for containerised trade by $213 million a year over the next 50 years, for a total economic benefit of $10.65 billion during that span. Decreased costs per container will lower the bottom line for the more than 21,000 U.S. businesses, and thousands of international businesses shipping via the Port of Savannah.

The Record of Decision demonstrates that deepening the Savannah harbour to 47 feet is economically viable, environmentally sustainable, and in the best interests of national and international trade.

“The project delivers tremendous value to the supply chain,” Foltz said. “That is why it is so strongly supported by the United States government.”

The planned new depth of 47 feet strengthens the Port of Savannah’s position as a major global trade destination, allowing it to more efficiently accommodate Post-Panamax containerships. Additionally, general navigation will be improved, with wider channel turns and a larger turning basin. The Savannah River, which features a seven-foot tidal change twice a day, will continue to host two-way containership traffic.

“Ships such as the 9200-TEU MSC Roma already call on the Port of Savannah via the Suez Canal,” said GPA Chairman Robert Jepson. “The Panama Canal expansion is expected to increase the number of these ships calling on the U.S. East Coast, so it is vital that our ports prepare for these and larger vessels.”

Scheduled for completion in 2015, the Panama Canal expansion will increase the maximum possible draft of vessels traveling to and from the U.S. East Coast via Panama from 39.5 feet to as much as 50 feet.

The State of Georgia has already committed $181.1 million to the SHEP, which is expected to cost a total of $652 million. Now that a Record of Decision has been issued, federal construction funds can be appropriated to move the project forward.

The Administration’s approval for SHEP comes after 16 years of study and unprecedented collaboration between GPA, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and other federal and state agencies, as well as non-governmental stakeholders, to identify and address all concerns. The deepening project will be carried out with full consideration of the local population, wildlife and environment.

“SHEP, in combination with our improved landside infrastructure, further strengthens our position as a Southeast gateway,” Foltz said. “The road and rail access will serve this industry’s needs well into the future.”

The Port of Savannah is the fourth busiest port in the U.S. It benefits from the largest continuous campus of any port in the country, and the forthcoming deepening strengthens its position as a major destination in global transportation and logistics. The Port of Savannah is served by two Class I rail providers, Norfolk Southern and CSX, via on-terminal rail facilities with no weight restrictions. The Port of Savannah is closest and fastest by rail to the major population centers of Atlanta, Birmingham, Charlotte, Memphis and Orlando. Immediate access to I-16 (East/West) and I-95 (North/South), means key cities and manufacturing points throughout the U.S. Southeast and Midwest may be reached within a one- to two-day drive. 

Commodities such as grain, cereal and cotton performed particularly well, helping to increase container trade through the Port of Brisbane by 4.7% and reach a record 1,025,069 teus.This is the first time the Port has recorded in excess of one million teus in a financial year. 

Good Australian growing conditions and a favourable market resulted in the biggest bulk export tonnage of cereals and grains through the Port of Brisbane in the last 10 years.  This equated to more than 1.5 million tonnes exported in bulk during 2011/2012 – an increase of 73% on the previous year. Strong export numbers are predicted to continue in 2012/2013 due to continued international demand for high-quality Australian product.

Bumper cotton crops also set new export records, with the Port’s highest annual throughput of cotton exports increasing by a staggering 97%. Cotton seed exports, both bulk and containerised, also recorded exceptional growth. China continued to receive the majority of Australian cotton, with South Korea and Indonesia both strong export destinations – a consistent trend for the last five years. 

Machinery imports saw significant growth as a result of major mining and resource projects underway in Queensland. In particular, agricultural and mining equipment imports including excavators, bulldozers and forklifts increased by 80% to almost 270,000 tonnes. This type of cargo is often large and heavy, and requires special handling at the wharf and on the road.

The Port of Brisbane Pty Ltd works closely with all sectors of this industry, ensuring the shipping lines, stevedores, importers and their trucking companies obtain the best logistical support to meet their specific needs.

The City of Paris is investing in the development of waterborne traffic for environmental reasons. On 1 October, the two Cargotec DRF450-70S5XS reachstackers were part of a historic event in which food containers arrived in Paris by river for the first time since the Middle Ages.

One of the reachstackers unloads containers from the vessels onto lorries at Port de la Bourdonnais, opposite the Eiffel Tower. The containers – 26 per day – are then transported by lorry to Franprix grocery stores in central Paris. The other reachstacker is operated at the suburban port of Bonneil sur Marne where the vessels are loaded.

In consideration of tourists and residents of houseboats, the equipment must be quiet. Operated in an area of 20m x 20m, the reachstackers must also be highly manoeuvrable. The subdued dark-grey paint was the customer’s choice for ensuring that the stackers blend into the banks of the Seine in the background. “The special feature of the equipment is that they are able to pick up containers from various levels of the vessel: they can even reach 1.90 metres under the quay,” said Rémy Cimino, Kalmar Product Sales Manager.

The order was placed by Paris Terminal and Terminaux de Seine (TDS) in April 2012. The full service agreement covers both preventive and corrective maintenance. Paris Terminal’s director, Alain O’Jeanson, is happy with the reachstackers, which have been in trial use since 27 August. “The units are an exact match for the requirements we agreed on. First-class after-sales service was a decisive factor in the selection of a partner,” he said.