Hurricane Ida Makes Landfall, Lashing Gulf Coast Supply Chain Infrastructure

  Port of New Orleans

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

  New Orleans AIS Snapshot 1

An AIS snapshot of the vessels in anchorage near the port of New Orleans

  New Orleans AIS Snapshot 2

An AIS snapshot of the vessels in anchorage near the port of New Orleans

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.

  Number of Portcalls New orleans 0830

Number of Port Calls (Arrival)

  TEU Departure Arrival New Orleans 0830

TEU Capacity of Vessels calling at New Orleans

  Blank Sailing USMSY 0831

According to project44 data, carriers announced 7 blank sailings to New Orleans from September 6th through September 8th.

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