For decades, various Mississippi and Coast leaders have pushed to deepen the Port of Gulfport. Last week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers signed a report recommending the project for congressional approval.
The report, which is a result of a three-year study, recommends deepening the port from 36 feet to 46 feet and widening it by 50 feet. The work is estimated to cost $548 million. According to a statement from Gov. Tate Reeves, 75% of the project would be funded by the federal government and 25% by the state.
“We are making a quantum leap forward for the Port of Gulfport,” said U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker. “A deeper, wider channel will unlock even more growth for our bustling maritime economy. Mississippians will benefit for years to come.”
Proponents now hope Congress will approve the project in the 2026 Water Resources Development Act, and fund it.
“This milestone reflects years of collaboration, and it positions the Port of Gulfport for long-term competitiveness, stronger supply chain resilience and expanded economic opportunity across Mississippi,” said Port CEO and Executive Director Jon Nass.
The port was established in 1902 and quickly became the world’s largest exporter of yellow pine, harvested in the Mississippi Pine Belt and surrounding states. As this business declined, in the 1970s the Port of Gulfport shifted to importing bananas and other tropical fruit from Central America. It remains the second-largest port in the nation for importing green fruit.
But the port is not deep enough for today’s larger, more efficient ships. Particularly since the Panama Canal was expanded in 2016, international shipping has shifted even more to the use of mega-ships. For years, officials have said that if the Port of Gulfport were deepened, it could attract bigger ships and more container cargo would pass through the port.
After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Gov. Haley Barbour said he wanted to see the port deepened to 50 feet using federal recovery funds, but he could not secure federal approval. He later recommended BP oil disaster settlement money be used for the dredging, but still failed to get approval for the dredging.
A 2013 report under Gov. Phil Bryant’s administration noted that deepening the channel would ensure the port’s “long-term competitiveness for decades to come.” The port was expanded and modernized using federal disaster recovery funds, but its channel wasn’t fully dredged to 36 feet until 2015.
A 2010 report from Mississippi State University noted that the port has had a “long history of sediment problems.” Even when it has been dredged to approved depths in the past, keeping it to that depth has been problematic, with sediment filling back in.
To maintain the current depth the port needs to routinely be dredged, overseen by the Army Corps of Engineers with money usually coming from the federal government. In 2012, WLOX reported the port had not had a full maintenance dredge since 2009 because of federal budget constraints.
Officials see the port as an important part of Mississippi’s economy. A 2022 report found that the port provided $3.8 billion in economic value to the region, $62.5 million in state and local taxes and 3,600 jobs.
Hence then, the article about plan to deepen the port of gulfport could move forward after decades long push was published today ( ) and is available on Mississippi Today ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Plan to deepen the Port of Gulfport could move forward after decades-long push )
Also on site :
- Brownfields sind der wahre Test für die Automatisierung: So skalierte ForwardX 484 AMRs in einem laufenden Automobilwerk eines Erstausrüsters ohne Produktionsausfälle
- 1974 Yacht Rock Classic, Inspired by a College Crush, Became a Timeless Anthem of Lost Love
- Founding Member of ’80s Rock Band Announces Update on Supergroup