Hurricane Ida made landfall on Sunday, Aug 29, 2021, near the Fourchon Port in Louisiana. Major storms place an added burden on an already over stretched US supply chain that faces persistent capacity and infrastructure shortfalls.
Although New Orleans is a relatively small container port, there may be ripple-on effects in the greater supply chain in the wake of the storm
Port of New Orleans (USMSY) Summary:
All containerized operations will remain closed at the New Orleans Terminal and Ports America until further notice. Nearby Gulf container port of Mobile remains closed, whereas the Port of Houston is open. Similarly, all breakbulk operations will remain closed at Empire, Coastal Cargo, Gulf Stream Marine and Ports America until further notice.
Also, the Lower Mississippi River was closed to all vessel traffic by the US Coast Guard, as per the last update received at 2 p.m., August 28, 2021. Even the Inner Harbor Navigational Canal and the New Orleans Rail Gateway operations will remain closed until further notice.
Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP), the largest private crude terminal established in the United States, has now paused their deliveries due to the storm. According to Reuters, nearly 95% of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico’s oil production was suspended, i.e., approximately 1.74 million barrels per day. The Gulf supplies 17% of oil, nationwide. Similarly, all breakbulk operations will remain closed at Empire, Coastal Cargo, Gulf Stream Marine and Ports America until further notice.
Anticipating the impact of the hurricane, it seems carriers proactively diverted their container vessels from going to the port as no container vessels are currently in the New Orleans vicinity.
As on August 31, 17 vessels comprising general cargo ships, tugs, bulk carriers and roro ships were anchored in and around the port.
Below are the details:
Vessels Near Port of New Orleans: (project44)
Vessel Name | Vessel Type | IMO |
TAK 1 | General Cargo ship | |
CAPT BUD BISSO | Pusher/Tug | 9034834 |
LA CHEVAL | Pusher/Tug | 7826910 |
NAUTICAL MADISON | Bulk carrier | 9747687 |
DOUGLAS | Pusher/Tug | |
INDEPENDENCE | Pusher/Tug | |
CAPE KNOX | RoRo ship | 7715290 |
PAC DUBHE | General cargo vessel | 9304021 |
R0TTERDAM EAGLE | Bulk carrier | 9721994 |
SPIRIT | Ship | |
TED KAYSER | Pusher/Tug | |
CORESHIP OL | Bulk carrier | 9473755 |
MISS MOLLYE D | Pusher/Tug | |
M V JUSTICE | Ship | 1192071 |
FREEDOM | Pusher/Tug | |
ISHIZUCHI STAR | Bulk Carrier | 9811919 |
ANDREW S | Pusher/Tug |
According to project44 data, the Port of New Orleans handles an average of 8 containers vessels per week. This amounts to an average weekly total TEU vessel capacity of around 40k TEUs that may be affected by the port closure – equating to an estimated cargo value of $1.6b USD*.
The port its-self does not process all containers on vessels that call. According to a 2019 report, the Port of New Orleans processed some 437,400 TEUs annually.
Port of New Orleans
Port NOLA is ranked the US’s 15ht largest port in terms of TEU. a diverse deepwater port uniquely located on the Mississippi River near the Gulf of Mexico with access to 30-plus major inland hubs such as Memphis, Chicago, and Canada via 14,500 miles of waterways, six Class I railroads and interstate roadways.
Being Louisiana’s only international container port, Port NOLA generates $100 million in revenue annually through its four lines of business – cargo (46%), rail (31%), cruise (16%), and industrial real estate (7%). As a self-sustaining political subdivision of the State of Louisiana, the Port receives zero tax dollars.
- Containerized Cargo Momentum: Port NOLA is the only deep-water container port in Louisiana.
- 840,000 annual TEU capacity with six gantry cranes to handle 10,000 TEU vessels.
- The port handled 437,400 TEU in 2019
- Four new 100-foot gauge gantry cranes ordered spring/summer 2019 are under construction.
- Regular container-on-barge services and on-dock rail access with the Mississippi River Intermodal Terminal.
- New Orleans Public Belt Railroad provides the Port, Class I partners, and shippers an on-dock intermodal advantage. (Source: Wikipedia)
*$40K USD Average estimated value of a 20ft unit container (based on insurance industry)
You can stay updated on the reopening schedule of the port and terminal operation, here – Port NOLA – Storm Update Page.
Disclaimer: The data referenced in this release is sourced from project44’s freight visibility platform, based on the logistics indicators that the platform tracks. The sample data sets referenced do not include all freight movement data tracked by other entities. Data from project44’s platform reflects a statically significant sample size to draw conclusions.
Please email me if you have any questions or comments.
Josh Brazil
Email: jbrazil@project44.com
Director, Supply Chain Data Insights
