Maritime Industry

Originally founded as a trading post for the mighty Mississippi River, New Orleans continues to be a leading innovator as one of the top U.S. seaports for world trade. The New Orleans region holds an advantage over virtually every other U.S. seaport. Its four major deepwater ports have direct access to six trunk rail lines that run clear to Canada, three interstate highways, and waterway access to the Midwest and entire Gulf Coast. More than 4,000 ships call at the region's ports annually, passing over 350 million tons — 15 percent of all cargo through U.S. ports.

New Orleans exports over a billion dollars in goods to our nation's major trading partners. The region is also ideally located as a gateway to the expanding markets of South and Central America, which exceeds the growth rates of all other world regions. And the planned billion-dollar Millennium Port near the mouth of the Mississippi will mark one of the most significant capital investments ever in the marine transportation sector.

For more information on the maritime industry: contact Tommy Kurtz at Metrovision, the Regional Economic Development Partnership for the New Orleans Region. Email tkurtz@norcc.org. Call (504) 527-6944. Toll free 800-659-3759. Write to Metrovision at 601 Poydras St., suite 1700, New Orleans LA 70130.

For more information on the maritime industry: email Steve Molnar at smolnar@gnoinc.org, Director of Business Development Light Manufacturing, Maritime and Logistics.