NORTH AMERICA

Terminal RFP call

5 years ago

Plans are progressing for a US container terminal capable of handling 2m TEUs annually and serving the largest vessels.

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for Programme Management/Programme Controls Services for the development of the estimated US$1.5bn Louisiana International Terminal (LIT),

“This RFP represents tangible progress toward maintaining our gateway’s continued competitive advantage and building on Port NOLA’s 50-year history as Louisiana’s only international container port,” said Brandy D. Christian, president and CEO of the Port of New Orleans and CEO of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad. “A second terminal ensures we will be able to meet current and future container volume demand and continue to serve Louisiana as an economic driver, creating new jobs and unmatched opportunities for private sector businesses.”

Anticipated to open in 2027, the approximately 350-acre container terminal with a 3,500 linear foot wharf is situated within more than 1,000 acres of developable green-field property. The site, located within the federal government’s US$14Bn flood protection system, also features naturally deep-draft riverfront acreage, a 50-foot Mississippi River Channel, documented ability to navigate ships with a capacity up to 23,000 TEUs, access to six Class I railroads through New Orleans Public Belt Railroad and interstate highways.

The location could also help grow Port NOLA’s container-on-barge service, a partnership with the Port of Baton Rouge and Seacor Marine. Adjacent acreage will enhance the project’s economic impact with space to accommodate distribution centres, value-added and logistics-related businesses, buffer operations from the community, and encompass community enhancement projects.

Responses to the Program Management/Program Controls Services RFP are due on 13 July. This is the second LIT RFP. A contract for assistance with preliminary design and permit support services is expected to be awarded at the Board of Port Commissioners meeting in July 2021.

The project will require public-private partnerships. Port NOLA is developing a comprehensive Request for Proposals (RFP) for a development partner and expects to begin the procurement process within the next few months.