The Port of Mobile has had its busiest month ever in July for containerized cargo, breaking 50,000 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) for the first time since the container port began operations in 2009.
The year-over-year comparison reflects a growth rate of 184.7% for intermodal cargo and a 35.8% for dry and refrigerated cargo.
“The Port of Mobile is open for business,” said John Driscoll, CEO and director of the Alabama Port Authority. “This growth shows that Mobile is a top choice for shippers looking to avoid congestion and delays as they move their cargo quickly and efficiently. As we look ahead to increased capacity and a deeper, wider ship channel, the Port of Mobile will keep building on this success for the state.”
July is the port’s seventh consecutive month to post double and triple-digit growth for overall throughput volume and intermodal rail volume, respectively.
The Alabama Port Authority is on track to surpass 500,000 TEUs in 2022, with more room to grow. An expansion deal with APMT will double the terminal’s throughput to 1 million TEUs in 2025. At full build-out, the facility is projected to handle 2.5 million TEUs.
Another project coming in 2025 is the deepening and widening of the Mobile ship channel. Once complete, the 50-foot draft federal channel will make the port the deepest port in the Gulf of Mexico and allow neo-panamax-sized vessels up to 14,000 TEU to fully load, further increasing capacity and attracting shippers.
