Today, Brandy D. Christian, Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) President and CEO, and New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB) CEO, delivered the 2023 State of the Port address highlighting successes across the Port’s four lines of business — cargo, rail, industrial real estate and cruise. In the address titled “Delivering Louisiana’s Future,” Christian also touted significant progress in the development of the $1.8 billion Louisiana International Terminal (LIT) as well as major investments in the Port’s other vital maritime infrastructure.

Brandy D. Christian, Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) President and CEO and New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB) CEO, will deliver the 2023 State of the Port address, titled “Delivering Louisiana’s Future” Friday, Nov. 3, 2023 at the Sheraton New Orleans. Christian will provide updates and outlooks on the Port’s four lines of business (cargo, rail, industrial real estate and cruise) and share long-term strategies to grow international commerce for Louisiana.

The New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB) celebrated the completion of an expansion project that will further increase throughput in the New Orleans rail gateway. Located along the Industrial Canal in New Orleans, the newly constructed France Road Railyard will improve efficiencies and increase NOPB’s capacity to switch, interchange and store rail cars, now accommodating an additional 220 storage cars.

Gov. John Bel Edwards appointed Todd P. Murphy to the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) this month to succeed Commissioner Jack C. Jensen. Murphy was sworn in during today’s monthly Board meeting and will serve a five-year term.

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

Gov. John Bel Edwards appointed Jeanne E. Ferrer and Darryl D. Berger to the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) this month to succeed outgoing commissioners Charles H. Ponstein and William H. Langenstein, III respectively.

Gov. John Bel Edwards announced a historic public-private partnership between the state of Louisiana, the Port of New Orleans and two global maritime industry leaders to build a $1.8 billion state-of-the-art container facility on the Lower Mississippi River. The new Louisiana International Terminal (LIT) in St. Bernard Parish will be able to serve vessels of all sizes, dramatically increasing Louisiana’s import and export capacity and stimulating the creation of more than 17,000 new jobs statewide by 2050, Port NOLA estimates.

Today, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) announced the first projects selected to receive a total of $3 million in grant funding under the Class II and III Rail Infrastructure Improvement Program.

Today, New Orleans Public Belt (NOPB) Railroad General Manager, Tomeka Watson-Bryant, was honored as one of Railway Age’s 2022 Women in Rail. Watson-Bryant, who became NOPB General Manager in June 2022, was one of 23 honorees from across the country recognized for her leadership, innovation and accomplishments in the railroading industry.

In an ongoing effort to engage local businesses in the New Orleans Gateway, the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) and New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB) will host a Procurement Contractor’s Resource Event on Tuesday, Oct. 25 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at NOPB’s Joe Spot Training Center, 4822 Tchoupitoulas St., New Orleans, LA 70115.

Today, Brandy D. Christian, Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) President and CEO, and New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB) CEO, delivered the 2022 State of the Port address highlighting successes across the Port’s four lines of business and the completion of several vital maritime infrastructure projects. This was the first State of the Port gathering since 2019 before the pandemic.

Today, Sharonda Williams was sworn in as a member of the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) at the May 19, 2022, board meeting. Appointed by Governor John Bel Edwards, Williams succeeds Darryl D. Berger as one of four Orleans Parish representatives on the seven-member regional board and will serve a five-year term.