Maritime Transportation Network News

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) will receive $73.77 million from the federal government to assist in building the Louisiana International Terminal (LIT) project, which will provide a gateway for cargo movement on U.S. inland waterways including the Mississippi River.The U.S. Department of Transportation has alerted Congress that it intends to award this funding through its MEGA Grant Program, which will support the first phase of the overall $1.8 billion project’s construction and is in addition to significant funding commitments from private industry partners and Port NOLA.

Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (MD-07), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, held a hearing today, to continue the discussion regarding U.S.-flagged vessels in the U.S. foreign trade. According to the Maritime Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. flagged fleet consists of only 94 vessels, which carry two percent of American foreign traded goods. Many of the reasons for this shortfall concern the economic challenges that make such operations more costly than operations under so-called flags of convenience. A previous hearing addressed the criticality of the Maritime Security Program and cargo preference requirements to making operation under the U.S. flag economically viable.