Plaquemines Port, Harbor and Terminal District (PPHTD) has announced a Letter of Intent which states APM Terminals (APMT) will become the operator of a newly planned container terminal and intermodal rail facility at the port.
Plaquemines Port and its financial partners will manage activities associated with the infrastructure development, investment, and ownership of the port. External parties are also set to be the investors of the new facilities.
This agreement comes after a six-month terminal review process between both parties.
The facility is currently in the early stages of development and the gateway port will cater to exports and importers who could tap into the multimodal routing options of rail, truck, inland marine, and air.
The terminal aims to be environmentally friendly as it will be powered by a combination of natural gas and electricity, encompassing up to 1,000 acres and 8,200 feet of Mississippi River frontage.
“We see tremendous opportunity to write a new supply chain playbook for US exporters and importers with this location. Exporters are looking for ways to ship their products overseas with a competitive port and importers are looking for more ways to reach major regional consumer markets in the South and Midwest,” said Wim Lagaay, CEO of APM Terminals North America.
“We look forward to working with the Plaquemines Port team, their partners and with state and local leaders to ensure the port operates on world-class levels as a Louisianan success story.”
A special focus will be on utilising modern infrastructure technology and engineering in order for the terminal to withstand storm surges and wind damage. Phase one of construction is expected to last two years and will deliver the capability to handle 22,000 TEU class vessels with the availability to expand as needed.
Sandy Sanders, Executive Director for PPHTD, added “Our vision is to create a new port with an entirely new supply chain network into the United States. We will have multiple routing options to inland markets which give supply chain planners the resiliency and contingency layers essential to manage future supply chains effectively.
“We have also carefully selected our partners APM Terminals, American Patriot Holdings and Louisiana 23 Development Company who share our vision to engineer a logistics business model that attracts private investment dollars and new cargo to Louisiana and strategic inland markets.”
APMT has also recently announced it has entered into a strategic alliance with Chinese equipment manufacturer Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Company Limited (ZPMC). Announced in October 2021, both parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will change equipment purchasing from a transactional process to strategic collaboration – with a focus on automation.
