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The Alabama Port Authority broke another record, handling 56,545 twenty-foot containers last month. This tops July’s record of 52,911 twenty-foot containers, making September the largest throughput month since APM Terminals’ container operations began in 2008.
With 421,232 twenty-foot containers, or TEUs, moved year-to-date, 2022 volumes are now 14 percent higher than 2021 volumes. In addition to record-breaking container numbers, intermodal rail moves in September were up 141 percent over 2021, and refrigerated cargo was up 16 percent over the same period.
“In addition to serving all 67 counties in the state, we are strategically positioned to offer service directly into the middle of the country, providing an uncongested and fluid gateway into key North American markets in less time and at less expense than other coastal ports,” said Port Authority Director and CEO John C. Driscoll.
As the deepening and widening of the federal channel to a 50-foot depth continues to progress on time and on budget, there is still plenty of room for growth at the Port of Mobile. Once complete, the project will allow larger vessels to make Mobile their port of call, increasing efficiency and further positioning the port for growth.
“We have such an incredible asset in the Port of Mobile, and they continue to deliver for Alabama,” said Chamber President & CEO Bradley Byrne. “If the Port is already posting these kinds of numbers, just think about where they will be once the harbor deepening and widening project is complete.”
The Port Authority’s partner and terminal operator, APM Terminals, will expand its capabilities to one million TEUs upon completion of the Phase IV expansion. In addition to the terminal expansion and the harbor deepening and widening project, the Alabama Port Authority will open a new inland intermodal facility served by CSX in Montgomery, Ala. These projects are set to come online in 2025 and will provide new advantages and opportunities for shippers.
The Port of Mobile is strategically located in the northern Gulf of Mexico with access to an international airport and two interstate systems, I-65 running north/south and I-10 running east/west. The intermodal container transfer facility (ICTF), which will be an on-dock facility by 2025, provides access to five Class I and four short-line railroads. From the ICTF in Mobile, containers can reach Chicago in three days.
The Alabama Port Authority serves all 67 counties in the state of Alabama and oversees the deep-water public port facilities at the Port of Mobile. In addition to interstate, air, and rail, the Port Authority’s container, general cargo, and bulk facilities have immediate access to nearly 15,000 miles of inland waterways. Once the channel deepening and widening project is completed, the Port of Mobile will be the deepest container terminal in the Gulf of Mexico.
