Posted on September 30, 2026
Louisiana’s role as a major U.S. maritime and freight gateway is taking center stage this week as port executives and industry leaders gather in New Orleans for the American Association of Port Authorities Annual Convention.
The 2026 AAPA Annual Convention runs from Sept. 28 through Sept. 30, bringing together port authorities and maritime industry stakeholders at a time when U.S. ports are facing mounting demands for infrastructure investment, greater cargo capacity and more resilient inland connections.
The Port of New Orleans highlighted those issues ahead of and during the gathering, pointing to Louisiana’s position on the Mississippi River and its connections with international shipping, rail networks, highways and the U.S. inland waterway system.
Chett Chiasson, executive director of the Greater Lafourche Port Commission and a prominent figure in Louisiana’s port sector, discussed the convention and the wider importance of the state’s ports during an appearance on The Newell Normand Show.
The discussion focused on global logistics, infrastructure investment and supply chain resilience, issues that are increasingly interconnected as ports compete for cargo while preparing their infrastructure for larger vessels, changing trade patterns and new technology.
New Orleans hosts national port industry
AAPA represents public port authorities across the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America, making its annual convention a meeting point for executives responsible for some of the Western Hemisphere’s most important maritime gateways.
For Louisiana, hosting the event provides an opportunity to put its extensive port system under the industry spotlight.
The state’s ports stretch from deepwater facilities handling international vessels to terminals serving the Mississippi River and Gulf Coast energy and industrial markets. New Orleans itself sits at the intersection of ocean shipping and one of the world’s largest inland navigation systems.
That geography matters. A port is only as useful as the transport network behind it. Cargo arriving at a terminal still needs an efficient route to factories, warehouses, distribution centers and consumers.
Port NOLA says its facilities include 40 berths, about 20 million square feet of cargo handling area and more than 3.1 million square feet of covered storage. Its infrastructure handles containers as well as breakbulk, project cargo and other commodities.
Infrastructure moves higher on agenda
The convention comes as Port NOLA advances one of the largest infrastructure projects in its history, the Louisiana International Terminal in St. Bernard Parish.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers granted the federal permit for the project in August, clearing a major regulatory hurdle and authorizing construction of the planned deepwater container terminal.
The proposed facility is designed to strengthen Louisiana’s ability to handle larger container vessels and expand cargo capacity on the Lower Mississippi River. Port NOLA has said the terminal will provide connections to more than 30 states through rail, highway and inland waterway networks.
The project also illustrates the scale of investment now required to keep major U.S. gateways competitive.
Port NOLA’s fiscal 2026 capital investment plan identifies about $61.1 million in spending during the year across existing infrastructure, hurricane repairs, the Louisiana International Terminal, the St. Bernard Transportation Corridor and other projects.
Existing infrastructure accounts for about $46.3 million of that planned expenditure. Breakbulk projects represent $22 million, including work at the Louisiana, Harmony, Seventh Street, Alabo and Nashville facilities.
Freight connections extend beyond the waterfront
Improving terminals without improving the roads and railways behind them can simply move congestion from one location to another.
That makes the planned St. Bernard Transportation Corridor another important part of the region’s freight strategy. Louisiana transportation authorities are advancing the first phase of the corridor, including environmental review, planning and route selection.
The route is intended to connect the future Louisiana International Terminal with the interstate highway network while improving freight mobility and reducing pressure on local roads.
Port NOLA also has direct rail access through the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad, giving cargo access to major North American rail networks.
For breakbulk and project cargo operators, that multimodal capability can be particularly important. Large industrial components, steel, machinery and oversized cargo frequently require combinations of vessel, barge, rail and specialized road transport rather than a straightforward port to warehouse movement.
Supply chain resilience remains central
The emphasis on resilience reflects lessons that ports and cargo owners have absorbed from recent years of disruption.
Congestion, extreme weather, geopolitical tension and changing shipping patterns have shown how quickly problems at one gateway can spread through an international supply chain. Expanding capacity alone therefore does not solve every problem. Ports increasingly need alternative transport connections, digital visibility and infrastructure capable of recovering quickly when operations are interrupted.
That places Louisiana in an unusual position. Its ports serve international container and breakbulk trades while also supporting the energy, petrochemical, agricultural and industrial sectors that depend heavily on the Mississippi River corridor.
The AAPA convention gives port executives three days to compare how those challenges are being addressed elsewhere, while New Orleans provides a working example of how maritime infrastructure, inland waterways, rail and highways must function as parts of the same freight system.
