Gulfport commissioners approve expansion plan

The Mississippi State Port Authority on Friday approved a plan to expand the Port of Gulfport.

While the expansion plan is still in the conceptual stage, Gulfport's mayor said in an interview with the Sun Herald newspaper that it was about the biggest thing that's happened in this city in last 100 years.

Port officials believe Gulfport could eventually become the largest container port on the U.S. Gulf, and one of the largest container ports in the country.

The port is planning a $1 billion expansion that would give it capacity for about 2 million to 3 million TEUs, and in five decades perhaps allow Gulfport to handle as many a 17 million TEUs -- more than the current combined ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

The plan, developed with the engineering firm CH2M Hill, involves building an offshore island where new container facilities would be built. Planners hope to deepen access channels to the port to 50 feet so it would be capable of handling the large new ships that will be able to transit the expanded Panama Canal,

Mississippi has committed to using $570 million from community bloc development grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Development at the port, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

The Associated Press reported that a coalition of advocacy groups has asked HUD to require Mississippi to get federal approval for the new plan because it has increased in size

The port also announced a new lease agreement with Chiquita, one of its largest customers, to extend the banana company's lease at the port through 2019. 

Source: American Shipper