potential on and off Port property. To accomplish this, we are working with regional, state and federal partners to attract new freight-related jobs and to build and support Louisiana’s manufacturing, agriculture and logistics industries,” Christian said.
Growth in each of Port NOLA’s four lines of business – cargo, rail, industrial real estate and cruise – drives economic opportunities:
The Port of New Orleans is considered a strong ally and valuable asset for the attraction and support of economic development in Louisiana, according to Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson. “When LED engages prospects anywhere in the world to discuss doing business in Louisiana, logistics
Nationally, Port NOLA impacts:
is one of the strong suits we emphasize. Louisiana is the gateway to the global economy for 38 states, and
• 119,510 jobs
activities around shipping are growing rapidly,” said Pierson. “The Port of New Orleans is well-positioned to
• $29.8 billion of economic output
capture and support many emerging opportunities, from intermodal container growth to agriculture and many chemical commodities.” Port NOLA set new high marks in 2018 in several areas. A total of 591,253 twenty-foot-equivalent units moved through the Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal, an all-time high and up 12.3 percent compared to the previous year. Those numbers included a 58 percent surge in containers moved by barge on the Port’s growing container-on-barge service operated in conjunction with the Port of Greater Baton Rouge. The New Orleans Public Belt
Job creation and cargo movement also translates to healthy tax collections: • $91.5 million in local taxes • $76.8 million in state taxes • $1.9 billion in federal taxes
Railroad, which the Port acquired in 2018, realized a 15 percent growth in intermodal cargo, as well. Another segment continuing to grow is the Port’s cruise business — both oceangoing and riverine. In
Direct, port-based activity creates:
2018, Port NOLA recorded 1,182,111 cruise passenger movements, a new record high. While overall
• 8,880 jobs
numbers were up 2.3 percent, guests traveling on
• $609 million in labor income
cruises on the Mississippi River grew by 23 percent
• $1 billion in value added services
compared to the previous year. Those guests and ship crew members spend an estimated $129.1 million in the regional economy,
• $2.3 billion of economic output
while the cruise lines spend another $125.2 million, according to the economic impact report. And the activity is new money injected into the economy, as 90 percent of cruise passengers are from out-of-state and 73 percent spend multiple days in Louisiana either before or after their cruise. Michael Hecht, President and CEO of Greater New Orleans Inc., a regional economic development alliance serving 10 parishes in southeast Louisiana, praised Port NOLA’s momentum and role it has played in New Orleans’ growth. “In recent years, the Port of New Orleans has emerged as not only a record-breaking cargo and cruise facility, but moreover as an economic development powerhouse,” Hecht said. “Thanks to the Port’s leadership and partnership, the greater New Orleans region is well on its way to reclaiming its economic and maritime preeminence.”
10 G A T E W A Y R E V I E W 2 0 1 9
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Throughout Port NOLA’s three-parish (county) jurisdiction of Jefferson, Orleans and St. Bernard: • 19,050 jobs • $3.9 billion of economic output
And in Louisiana statewide: • 21,700 jobs • $4.3 billion of economic output