The Alabama Port Authority has begun the fourth phase of a project to double its container terminal capacity to over 1 million twenty-foot equivalent units.
The $104 million project is a partnership between the port authority and port operator APM Terminals Mobile.
Under the agreement, the port authority and APM Terminals are adding 32 acres to the existing 134-acre facility. The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2025.
The latest phase will include the construction of an interterminal connector bridge to create on-dock rail access at the port’s container terminal.
“As trade patterns continue to evolve, this expansion ensures that we remain a reliable, efficient, and sustainable gateway for commerce,” John Driscoll, director and CEO of the Alabama Port Authority, said in a news release. “We are investing to ensure the Port of Mobile meets the needs of current and future business partners across the globe and enhances our role as a key driver of Alabama’s economy.”
Related: Port of Mobile, CSX partner to build intermodal container facility
Previous phases of the project included adding a sheet pile wall on the north side of the terminal to facilitate the filling of 13 acres of manmade water bottoms to create more available land. The project is developing an additional 19 acres adjacent to the water bottoms to create a 32-acre container yard.
APM Terminals Mobile and the port authority also partnered to purchase two ship-to-shore super post-Panamax cranes for a total of $40 million. The cranes were delivered to the Port of Mobile in July.
The container terminal at the port is currently equipped to handle two 14,000-TEU vessels. The two super post-Panamax cranes complement the current four gantry cranes at the Port of Mobile — two super post-Panamax and two post-Panamax cranes.
In addition to the terminal expansion, the port authority is in the final phase of a project to deepen the Mobile Ship Channel to 50 feet. The project is scheduled to be completed in the first half of 2025.
