Port NOLA moves ahead on new container terminal plan

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for program management/program controls services for the development of the Louisiana International Terminal (LIT), a new container facility capable of handling two million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) annually and serving the industry’s largest vessels.

Brandy D. Christian, President and CEO of the Port of New Orleans and CEO of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad called the RFP “tangible progress toward maintaining our gateway’s continued competitive advantage and building on Port NOLA’s 50-year history as Louisiana’s only international container port.”

Responses to the RFP are due on July 13, 2021. This is the second RFP that has been issued related to LIT. A contract for assistance with preliminary design and permit support services is expected to be awarded at the Board of Port Commissioners meeting in July 2021. More information about both RFPs can be found on Port NOLA’s website.

The approximately 350-acre container terminal with a 3,500 linear foot wharf is situated within more than 1,000 acres of developable green-field property. The site, located within the federal government’s $14 billion flood protection system, also features naturally deep-draft riverfront acreage, a 50-foot Mississippi River Channel, documented ability to navigate ships with a capacity up to 23,000 TEUs, access to six Class I railroads through New Orleans Public Belt Railroad and interstate highways.

The location also has the ability to grow Port NOLA’s container-on-barge service, a partnership with the Port of Baton Rouge and Seacor Marine.

The estimated $1.5 billion project, with an intended opening in 2027, will require public-private partnerships. Current and prospective industry partners, including terminal operators, carriers, and others have expressed serious interest in potential financial participation in the LIT development. Port NOLA is developing a comprehensive Request for Proposals (RFP) for a development partner and expects to begin the procurement process within the next few months.