Louisiana grain terminal paves way to further containerisation

A NEW US$59.5 million grain terminal will soon commence construction to handle rice, wheat, corn, soybeans and dried distillers grains from across the US for shipment to foreign customers from Port of Lake Charles, Louisiana, midway between New Orleans and Houston.


While the new facility is a bulk terminal, nearby New Orleans has recently gained a name for containerising grain using a new vacuum loading system. In the past week, the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) announced it would also invest in a transloading facility to containerise grain through Los Angeles and Long Beach.


The Louisiana facility, a collaboration between New York-based investment firm IFG and UP, is the first of its kind to be built in the Gulf Coast region in almost 25 years, reports American Shipper.


UP will invest up to $6 million to connect to the new bulk grain elevator at the Port of Lake Charles, while the state of Louisiana will contribute $12 million to upgrade tracks, switches and signals to support additional growth. The government will also provide another $6 million from its Port Priority Programme and grant a five to six per cent rebate on new payroll expenses to IFG.
(Source:http://www.schednet.com)