Today, the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) appointed global maritime expert Beth Ann Branch President & Chief Executive Officer of Port NOLA and CEO of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB), effective Dec. 1, 2024. Branch is a globally recognized commercial strategist with more than 20 years of experience in the transportation and logistics industry. She replaces Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Ronald Wendel Jr., who served as Port NOLA’s Acting President & CEO / Acting CEO of NOPB and moved key strategic initiatives, like the $1.8 billion-dollar Louisiana International Terminal, forward during this transitional period.

The New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB) and Heniff Transportation Systems, LLC (Heniff) announced today that they have signed an agreement for Heniff to manage rail transloading services at the newly opened New Orleans Transloading Industrial Park. This facility, located on Terminal Road in New Orleans East, will help shippers move goods more easily between trucks and trains, making it faster to transport freight to America’s heartland.

Gov. Jeff Landry recently appointed Michael A. Thomas as Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) for a five-year term. With the alignment of Port NOLA and the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB), Thomas will also serve as Chairman of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad Commission.

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) and the New Orleans Public Belt (NOPB) have resumed all normal operations following Hurricane Francine.

Today, the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB) announced significant progress on two major infrastructure enhancement projects - the Transloading Industrial Park and the Claiborne Yard expansion.

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) today announced its purchase of the 210,000 square foot warehouse located at 5200 Coffee Drive in the Uptown Port of New Orleans Terminal, which is supported by a new, 10-year lease with The Kearney Companies, Inc. (The Kearney Companies), a subsidiary of Precision Terminal Logistics (PTL). This agreement marks another milestone in the longstanding relationship between Port NOLA, The Kearney Companies, and the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB), which provides rail service to its facilities and connection to all six Class 1 Railroads (BNSF, CPKCS, CN, CSX, NS and UP).

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) and the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB) announced intermodal rail volumes are up more than 15% YTD, when comparing January through May. Through its growing intermodal service and efficient global and inland connections, Port NOLA ensures that goods arrive at homes across the nation, that businesses can efficiently move their products, and that economic prosperity and job creation for the state and region continues. Rail represents approximately 33% of Port NOLA and NOPB’s consolidated annual revenue.

Today, the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) formally confirmed Ronald J. Wendel Jr., who is currently serving as Port NOLA’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, to become the Acting President and CEO of Port NOLA and Acting CEO of NOPB in June following the departure of current President and CEO, Brandy Christian, who has accepted the role of CEO of Patriot Rail Company. Wendel, who joined Port NOLA in 2015, brings a wealth of experience to the role and is poised to ensure that key strategic initiatives, like the $1.8 billion-dollar Louisiana International Terminal, move forward without interruption.

Today, the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) announced that its President and CEO Brandy D. Christian, a leading figure in the transportation industry, will step down mid-June 2024 to pursue an opportunity in the private sector. Christian has served as the President and CEO of Port NOLA since January 1, 2017, and as the CEO of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB) since its acquisition by Port NOLA on February 1, 2018, during which time Port NOLA increased operating revenues by 70 percent and NOPB increased operating income by 300 percent.

Today, the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) selected new officers with the election of Walter J. Leger Jr. to serve as Board Chairman, James J. Carter Jr. as Vice Chairman, and Sharonda R. Williams as Secretary-Treasurer for a nine-month term. With the alignment of the Port NOLA and the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad, Port Commissioners and officers also serve on the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad Commission.

Today, the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB) Board of Commissioners awarded a $2,209,635 contract to Cycle Construction Company LLC for construction on the NOPB Transloading Industrial Park off Jourdan Road in New Orleans East. The completed project will provide a site for shippers to move freight more efficiently between rail and truck into America’s heartland.

The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (NOENMCC) announces the Port of New Orleans (PORT NOLA) and the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB) have joined SEBconnect, the Convention Center’s online and mobile resource designed to create awareness and educate small and emerging business (SEB) owners in real-time about available contracting, purchasing and new business opportunities