The Alabama State Port Authority (ASPA) and APM Terminals announced that they have approved a $49.5 million expansion of the container facility at the Port of Mobile.
Phase 3 is part of a five Phase long-term plan that can enhance the terminal’s annual throughput capacity to 1.5M TEU. It will include a 400 ft. dock extension, super Post-Panamax crane rails and upgrades to the fender system, which will accommodate 14,000 TEU ships.
The port will also expand by 20 yards, something that ensures excess capacity at the terminal to accommodate new shipper and carrier business opportunities.
The dock extension will last about two years, while the yard will take 18 months to complete. Upon completion, the project will be able to accommodate an annual throughput capacity of 650,000 TEU.
“The Phase 3 expansion enables us to stay well ahead of the growth pattern we’ve seen in the Port of Mobile, as well as add dock space to support the growing vessel sizes that are coming to the terminal. It will help us maintain the efficiency levels our customers have come to expect, while also creating the extra capacity needed to support potential future economic growth in our market,” noted Brian Harold, managing director for APM Terminals Mobile.
Furthermore, Phase 3 will supplement the recently completed Phase II investments that delivered 20 acres and installed two new super Post-Panamax cranes to accommodate new business through the terminal, including containers bound for Walmart’s 2.6 million square foot import distribution center at Mobile, Ala.
The project will also complement the recently completed Intermodal Container Transfer Facility, which can be accessed by five Class I railroads, including the Canadian National, CSX, Norfolk Southern, Kansas City Southern and BNSF. Currently, the Canadian National provides container intermodal rail service to key U.S. mid-west and Canadian markets.
“Container intermodal growth continues to drive investment at the Port of Mobile. Since 2005, the Port Authority and its partners have invested $535 million in shore-side and channel improvements to support the larger container ships calling the Port of Mobile. “These prior investments have competitively positioned the Port and set Mobile as an alternate gateway for U.S. trade. This expansion and our channel deepening and widening program will provide both shippers and carriers with a cost effective, customer service oriented option,” James K. Lyons, chief executive of the Alabama State Port Authority, concluded.
