Plaquemines Port moves ahead on rail logistics

Written by Marine Log Staff
Rendering of proposed Plaquemines port

Proposed terminal would cover up to 1,000 acres.

Plaquemines Port Harbor & Terminal District in Louisiana reports that Plaquemines Port’s proposed gulf gateway container terminal has moved a further step closer through partnerships with LA23 Development Company (Devco) and Sustainability Partners (SP) respectively, to secure land for proposed container terminal and design the rail logistics to the site.

Devco, the port’s exclusive private development partner, has secured the site for the proposed multi-modal, state-of-the-art container terminal located on the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish, La., just 50 miles from the Gulf of Mexico.

Chris Fetters, CEO of LA23 Devco, said “This is an exciting first step towards the project. Rail is a vital component to the success of the terminal and we are looking forward to the partnership with Sustainability Partners.”

On July 22, 2021, the Plaquemines Port Governing Authority approved the “notice to proceed” agreement with SP to begin connecting rail to the port campus. The $50 million project will be a public-private partnership between the port and SP to extend rail access ten miles from river Mile 61 to multiple port terminal operators along the Mississippi River corridor. This new extension will connect the proposed terminal to the Class I railroad network including Union Pacific and BNSF, also situated on the west bank of the Mississippi River.

Planning, engineering, and permitting for the rail extension is expected to take 12 to 18 months. Construction is estimated to take between six and nine months upon approval of the permit.

In addition to rail, containers will also move from new terminal on American Patriot Holdings next generation river container vessels have patented exo skeleton hull structure

Tom Caine, CEO of Sustainability Partners, said, “We are grateful for the opportunity to work with Plaquemines Port. This extension project best fits our business model of working with public agencies.”

The proposed terminal will also transition truck traffic off the roads and move containers via marine highways to inland Midwest ports within the Mississippi River Basin using American Patriot Holdings’ (APH) self-propelled vessels.

The site encompasses approximately 1,000 acres of land and 8,200 feet of Mississippi River frontage. Situated on the west bank of the Mississippi River, 50 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, the proposed facility will provide access to the next generation state-of-the-art vessels with a capacity of up to 22,000 TEUs. The proposed terminal will be powered by natural gas, allowing for equipment and operations to utilize electric drive power; thus, eliminating the need for conventional diesel drive motors.

Categories: Inland, News, Ports & Terminals Tags: ,