With competitors clogged, New Orleans port sees opportunity – New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans ports are stepping up efforts to seduce new businesses as major ports suffer from congestion due to the global supply chain crisis.

Ports in Los Angeles, California and Long Beach have been hit particularly hard by bottlenecks. Approximately 40% of all marine containers entering the United States go through Tuimport, which is waiting for a record number of ships.

Port of New Orleans is unaffected because it is heavily biased towards slow-returning exports compared to imports that returned stronger and faster than expected.

“That said, we have the capacity available at Port NOLA and we are placing and marketing ourselves to open shippers for their business.” Said Spokesman Jessica Laguza of Port NOLA. “Port NOLA has space to provide an alternative to these shippers. We have been particularly committed to targeted customer engagement, especially with importers and shipping companies.”

Port officials are attending conferences, lectures and social media to market, she said. They have increased port tours for customers and new partners who are interested in doing business.

To be successful, the port must extend its service. Port NOLA is a niche port, with a focus on resin and chicken exports and coffee and furniture imports, rather than the main gateway to trans-Pacific or transatlantic cargo.

However, Port NOLA’s commercial director Janine Mansour said the port will serve Europe, the Mediterranean, and three Asian services, in addition to “excellent connectivity to Latin America and multiple carrier options.” I said that I am doing it. In total, the port has 11 weeks of service.

Mansour said the port needs enough customers to require shipping companies to add New Orleans to the services they use in order to receive some of the inflow cargo from other regions. Told.

2 months ago Extratropical cyclone shuts down At the harbor for several days, it caused some damage to the harbor facilities.Authorities have Asked for federal helpThe August 29 hurricane, along with other ports in South Louisiana, exacerbated the already tense network.

Hurricane Ida’s problem is “resolved at this point and is on track from a freight perspective,” Mansour said.

The port set a break bulk record in September, the best move since 2018. The port moved 240,524 metric tons, an increase of 114% from September 2020.

“We also expect the October numbers to be successful as well,” Mansour said.

The shipping industry is currently in what is known as the “super cycle.” Maritime and inland transport capacities are very tight, demand is very strong, and spot rates have increased tenfold in a year with imports from Asia and the United States.

“The demand for air back to Asia is higher than ever, so we work closely with our supply chain partners on the rail, barge and sea carriers to ensure exporters have access to the air.” Said Laguza. .. “A very positive trend for demand for warehousing and distribution centers here in New Orleans and across our region is a strong e-commerce growth curve of just-in-time delivery and” just in case “inventory. “

Retailers are planning larger networks for distribution to accelerate access to the market, and New Orleans is a great place to grow in this area, Laguza said.

“Another positive trend is the shipper’s perception that supply chain diversification is more important than ever,” she said. “Using only one gateway, one shipping company, and one railroad is too risky when it stresses the supply chain. Due to extreme shipping delays on the west and east coasts, NOLA has announced that the New Orleans Through the connections from the Public Belt Railroad to (Southern Kansas City) and (Canadian National Railway), it has become a much more attractive option for Asian imports into Dallas or the Midwest.) “

President Joe Biden recently announced that the Port of Los Angeles will move to a 24/7 service to eliminate bottlenecks and move left-behind container ships, but expects the problem to continue next year. I am.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

With competitors clogged, New Orleans port sees opportunity Source link With competitors clogged, New Orleans port sees opportunity