The Port of New Orleans (Port Code:USMSY) is an embarkation port for cruise passengers. It is also Louisiana’s only international container port. New Orleans is the sixth largest cruise port in the United States. In 2019, it had 1.20 million cruise passenger movements and 251 cruise vessel calls. In 1946 a foreign-trade zone was established in the port. The New Orleans FTZ has more individual warehouses and sites under its umbrella than any other U.S. port-administered FTZ. The port is located on the Mississippi River about 100 miles upriver from the Gulf of Mexico. It is a diverse general cargo port, handling containerized cargo such as plastic resins, food products, consumer merchandise; and breakbulk cargo such as steel, metals, rubber, wood, and paper.State, port, and private companies have invested nearly $1 billion in infrastructure and facilities at New orleans, and another billion of investment is planned with private partnerships.
The Port of New Orleans is the only deepwater container port in Louisiana. It has an annual capacity of 840,000 TEU, with six gantry cranes to handle 10,000 TEU vessels. Four new 100-foot gauge gantry cranes were ordered spring/summer 2019 and are under construction. There are regular container-on-barge services and on-dock rail access with the Mississippi River Intermodal Terminal. The New Orleans Public Belt Railroad provides the port, partners and shippers with an on-dock intermodal advantage.