The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has issued a federal permit authorizing construction of the Louisiana International Terminal, a planned container facility on the Lower Mississippi River.
The permit allows the Port of New Orleans and its private-sector partners to move the project into its next phase. The terminal is being developed through a public-private partnership involving Port NOLA, Terminal Investment Limited, the terminal operating arm of Mediterranean Shipping Co., and Ports America.
Planned for a site below the Crescent City Connection bridge, the terminal will have unobstructed access to the Gulf of Mexico. Its location will allow larger container ships that cannot pass beneath the bridge to call at the port.
Container vessels now regularly exceed 16,000 twenty-foot-equivalent units. Port NOLA said the new terminal is being designed to accommodate those ships and expand container-handling capacity along the Gulf Coast.
“Today’s permit turns years of engineering, environmental review, and partnership into forward motion,” said Beth Branch, president and CEO of Port NOLA. “This is not simply a regional port expansion — it is nationally significant infrastructure that will expand American export capacity and position Louisiana to lead the next generation of maritime commerce.”
The terminal is expected to connect with major railroads and the interstate highway system, providing access to markets across more than 30 states.
Cargo activity through Port NOLA currently supports an estimated $101 billion in nationwide economic activity and more than 342,000 jobs, according to an economic analysis commissioned by the port. That total includes more than 122,000 jobs in Louisiana. Port officials said the terminal could add thousands of jobs and generate billions of dollars in tax revenue when fully developed.
Port NOLA and its partners did not provide an updated construction schedule or opening date in the permit announcement.
