From improved cargo-handling capabilities to deeper channel availability, seaports of Alabama and Mississippi are gearing up to efficiently move increasing volumes of a variety of containerized and outside-the-box goods through mid-Gulf maritime facilities.
Officials point to the central location of their ports – with ready intermodal accessibility throughout the South, Midwest and beyond – as a significant attribute for attracting shipments.
Alabama Port Authority
With the completion in early October of the project bringing its lower harbor depth to 50 feet from 45 feet, the Port of Mobile is being promoted by Alabama Port Authority officials as the deepest containerport along the Gulf of America and a hub for extensive breakbulk and project cargo moves. The top executive at the authority is now Doug Otto, who in November was promoted to director and chief executive officer from chief engineering officer, succeeding John Driscoll.
The deeper channel, enhanced inland intermodal capabilities, $100 million in breakbulk facility improvements, uncongested operations and access to five Class I railroads are key selling points as the Port of Mobile looks to provide a competitive alternative to more traditional gateways.
In February, the Alabama authority launched – along with a modernized port logo – its Mobile America Express, or MAX for short, as a service platform integrating deepwater access with rail, Interstate highway, inland waterway and air networks, creating a seamless link between global trade lanes and inland markets. Operational velocity is characterized by a three-day transit time from ship to Chicago.
Port Pascagoula
Just across the state line into Mississippi from Alabama, the Jackson County Port Authority’s Port Pascagoula is advancing expansion at its South Terminal, to include a new, 45,000-square-foot rail cargo-handling foundation and an additional 6.4-acre storage and staging yard to support transfers of heavy cargo to marine vessels. The expansion is moving forward alongside the $316 million BWC Terminal facility anticipated to be completed by fall on a former phosphates plant site. The BWC installation is to handle petroleum products for the nearby Chevron Corp. refinery.
Meanwhile, Port Pascagoula has upped its national defense status, with the U.S. Coast Guard this year returning to full response status its Station Pascagoula presence, with multiple cutters plus Maritime Administration support vessels stationed at the port’s 500-acre Singing River Island site, home to Naval Station Pascagoula until 2006. The port also regularly hosts joint military exercises and interagency training.
Port Pascagoula is experiencing a leadership transition, with a search initiated this spring following the December departure of Bo Ethridge, who in 2023 succeeded Mark McAndrews after the latter’s 22 years at the helm.
Mississippi State Port Authority
Some 45 miles west of Pascagoula via Interstate 10, the Mississippi State Port Authority’s Port of Gulfport is moving forward with a $24.5 million infrastructure expansion, with an $11.25 million federal grant, awarded in April, and a $9.5 million investment from terminal operator Ports America providing most of the funding. The project aims to strengthen the port’s role in national defense, support intermodal and container growth and reinforce resilience of critical infrastructure.
A broader permitted growth plan extends to take in 155 acres, while a study has been undertaken in coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to look at deepening Gulfport’s main ship channel to 46 feet from its present 36 feet. Last summer, the port took delivery of its fourth ship-to-shore gantry, giving it the ability to simultaneously unload two ships using two 100-ton-lift-capacity cranes apiece.
While widely recognized for its handling of refrigerated cargos, including for such longtime tenants as Dole, Chiquita and Crowley, the Port of Gulfport has expanded its cargo base to encompass construction materials, automobiles, forest products, electrical equipment, apparel and ilmenite ore.
