Facility Expansion: Jacksonville, New Orleans, Northwest Alliance

First Trains Arrive at JAXPORT’s New $30 Million Rail Terminal

The Jacksonville Port Authority’s newly completed Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF) at Dames Point is supporting a large military training exercise this month in advance of its official opening to commercial traffics later this year.  

Prior to the start of the ICTF’s commercial operations, JAXPORT is partnering with U.S. Army units, including the JAXPORT-based 832nd Transportation Battalion, for exercises aimed at expediting the movement of ocean-going military cargo, rehearsing the capabilities of personnel as well as the new terminal.

The ICTF allows cargo to move directly between ships and trains, speeding up the shipment process, extending the port’s intermodal reach, and increasing the region’s global trade competitiveness. During the exercise, uniformed Army personnel will transfer nearly 800 pieces of cargo -- including vehicles, containers and equipment -- from this facility to a nearby military ship.

Construction of the $30 million ICTF was funded through state and federal grants. The facility is served by CSX rail lines.

JAXPORT is one of 17 U.S. Strategic Seaports on call to move military cargo for national defense, foreign humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

 
Military cargo at JAXPORT’s new Intermodal Container Transfer Facility
Photo: JAXPORT

New Orleans Dedicates $25 Million Mississippi River Intermodal Terminal

The Port of New Orleans’ Mississippi River Intermodal Terminal was dedicated April 12 in a ceremony hosted by the port’s board of commissioners. The terminal’s annual throughput capacity is 160,000 TEUs by rail.

Operated jointly by Ceres Global and New Orleans General, the new railyard features two rubber-tired gantry cranes and four tracks with 1,550 feet of working pad per, in addition to a runaround track. A marshalling yard with 18-inch thick concrete paving provides additional capacity for 64,000 TEUs at the Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal. The design makes five acres available for the planned expansion of the container terminal.

 "New Orleans is a major player for national and international cargo operations and now we have the assets and capabilities needed to remain competitive at the highest level in the global market," said David Schulingkamp, chairman of the Board of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad, the short-line railroad that connects ports to six Class 1 railroad partners. "This new railyard will improve shipping logistics tremendously, which will in turn grow cargo business for the Port of New Orleans."

Financing for the $25 million facility came from a $16.7 million federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant and the port’s capital budget. That investment, according to the port, provided 280 temporary construction jobs and will create an estimated 100 permanent maritime jobs.

"This new terminal provides a highly efficient option for our customers moving cargo via rail," said Port President Gary LaGrange, PPM®. "I want to thank the entire Louisiana congressional delegation for their assistance and support in obtaining the federal funding that made this state-of-the-art terminal possible."

View aerial footage of the terminal.

 
Ribbon Cutting for the new Mississippi River Intermodal Terminal.  From left: Former New Orleans Port Commissioner Joseph Toomy; New Orleans Port Commission Secretary-Treasurer Robert Barkerding Jr.; New Orleans Port Commission Vice Chairman Michael Kearney; CN Senior Vice President, Southern Region, John Orr; New Orleans Port President & CEO Gary LaGrange, PPM®; Ceres Global CEO Patrick Burgoyne; New Orleans Port Commissioner Scott Cooper; New Orleans Public Belt Chairman (and former New Orleans Port Commissioner) David Schulingkamp.

Photo/Port of New Orleans

Northwest Seaport Alliance Plans $141 Million in Terminal Upgrades

The Northwest Seaport Alliance’s managing members have approved $141 million worth of construction and cranes to accommodate the simultaneous docking of two ultra-large containerships at Husky Terminal in the South Harbor area of Tacoma.

The actions also included approval of a 20-year lease extension, allowing Husky Terminal and Stevedoring to operate the terminal until 2046.

The Northwest Seaport Alliance is a marine cargo operating partnership of the ports of Seattle and Tacoma.
"This is a real historic moment for the alliance," said Seattle Port Commission President John Creighton. "It’s the first major investment that the two commissions will be approving in our harbors and our gateway."

Future Terminal 5 improvements in the North Harbor are under environmental review.

The Husky Terminal upgrades include reconstruction of Pier 4 to align it with Pier 3, creating a contiguous 2,960-foot berth, as well as the purchase of two super-post-Panamax cranes to join two already ordered. These improvements will allow two 18,000-TEU ships to dock at the same time.

The reconstructed berth will also include a conduit for future shore power to allow ships to plug into electricity while at dock.

Construction is estimated to be done in 2018.