Facility Expansion: Alabama

 

The boards of directors of Alabama State Port Authority (ASPA) and APM Terminals in separate actions have approved a $49.5 million expansion of the container facility at the Port of Mobile.  

 

The Phase 3 improvement - a 400-foot/121.9-meter dock extension, super Post-Panamax crane rails and upgrades to the fender system   will accommodate 14,000 TEU ships.  It also includes adding 20 acres/8.1 hectares of improved yard to accommodate new business.  When completed, the project will boost the terminal’s annual throughput capacity to 650,000 TEUs.  

 

Estimated completion times are 24 months for the dock extension and 18 months for the yard expansion. 

 

"The Phase 3 expansion enables us to stay well ahead of the growth pattern we’ve seen in the Port of Mobile, as well as add dock space to support the growing vessel sizes that are coming to the terminal," said Brian Harold, managing director for APM Terminals Mobile. "It will help us maintain the efficiency levels our customers have come to expect, while also creating the extra capacity needed to support potential future economic growth in our market," 

 

Phase 3 is part of a five phase, long-term plan to increase terminal’ capacity to 1.5 million TEUs annually.   

 

The recently commissioned Phase II investments delivered 20 acres and installed two new super Post-Panamax cranes to serve new business, including containers bound for Walmart’s 2.6 million square foot import distribution center in Mobile.  

 

The recently completed Intermodal Container Transfer Facility is accessible by five Class I railroads   Canadian National, CSX, Norfolk Southern, Kansas City Southern and BNSF. Canadian National provides container intermodal rail service to the U.S. Midwest and Canada.   

 

Since 2005, the port authority and its partners have invested $535 million in shore-side and channel improvements to support the larger ships calling the Port of Mobile. 

 

"Container intermodal growth continues to drive investment at the Port of Mobile," said Port Authority Chief Executive James K. Lyons. "This expansion and our planned harbor deepening and widening program will provide both shippers and carriers with a cost effective, customer service oriented option."