Report highlights growth opportunities for ports along the lower Mississippi

The World Trade Center New Orleans on Tuesday released a joint study on behalf of Louisiana’s five-deep draft ports along the lower Mississippi River—including the Port of Greater Baton Rouge—touting the benefits of trade in the region. 

The lower Mississippi River Commodity Analysis provides in-depth insights into the current state of commodity flows along the lower Mississippi River, identifying key opportunities for growth and efficiency improvements. The report analyzes a wide range of commodities, including agricultural products, energy resources and manufactured goods, and offers strategic insights for enhancing trade along the lower Mississippi.

The report’s findings will help inform economic development initiatives along the river, promote investments in port activities, and market services to logistics providers.

Among the key findings in the analysis:

• The Crescent City Connection bridge currently limits the size of container vessels and there is a need for a downriver container terminal to accommodate the growing size of the container vessel fleet. 
• Strong bulk market growth in biofuels, LNG, grain, wood pellets, cement and fertilizers present growth opportunities for Louisiana. 
• The project cargo market is likely to grow to support major projects including LNG and carbon capture. 

The analysis was conducted by Martin and Associates, an internationally recognized leading economic and transportation consulting firm.

Read the full report.