Gary Lagrange News

The Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans has announced that, effective Jan. 1, 2017, Brandy D. Christian has begun service as the Port’s president and chief executive officer following her two-year tenure as its chief operating officer. “Brandy is an experienced maritime professional with a strategic mindset and clear focus on actionable goals,” said Chairman of the Board of Port Commissioners Michael Kearney. “The Board’s competitive national search for a COO was part of an executive succession plan. We had hoped the successful candidate would eventually be able to lead the Port. Brandy exceeded our expectations by quickly understanding our challenges, identifying opportunities to improve efficiencies, and developing a plan for future growth.

France-based CMA CGM today announced a new direct weekly container service to Asia from the Port of New Orleans Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal. Part of the company’s PEX3 service, the inaugural vessel is scheduled to arrive on January 31 for service by terminal operator Ports America. “CMA CGM is proud to be expanding our presence in New Orleans, further showing our commitment to the Gulf region, and Louisiana specifically. We look forward to continued growth in the region, and are pleased to be contributing to the evolution and development of this vital hub. In the U.S., the Group now offers a global coverage with 23 services in and out of North America to over 150 countries around the world,” said Marc Bourdon, CMA CGM America LLC President.

U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administrator Paul “Chip” Jaenichen visited the Port of Greater Baton Rouge’s container-on-barge operation Tuesday while delivering his personal congratulations on the recent awarding of a $1.75 million grant to the Baton Rouge port and the Port of New Orleans. The grant will be used to acquire specialized container loading equipment to increase efficiencies to the current container-on-barge shuttle service operated by SEACOR AMH between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

More than 500 cruise passengers aboard Europa 2 will spend a few days in New Orleans next week, as the luxury cruise ship makes her maiden voyage to the Port of New Orleans Julia Street Cruise Terminal Monday, where port officials will host an onboard ceremonial plaque exchange with the vessel’s captain. “New Orleans consistently ranks atop the world’s top destinations for visitors and cruise lines see the Port of New Orleans as an attractive call on their itineraries,” said Gary LaGrange, Port President and CEO.

The world’s third largest container shipping company initiated a new direct service from the Port of New Orleans to the west coast of South America this week. Marseille, France-based CMA CGM launched its Med Americas service with the arrival over the weekend of the container ship Pomerenia Sky at the Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal. The new service is wholly-operated by CMA CGM vessels and will offer weekly and direct service to San Antonio, Chile; Callao, Peru; and Buenaventura, Columbia.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced the appointment of 29 new members to the Marine Transportation System National Advisory Committee (MTSNAC). Established in 2010, MTSNAC is comprised of leaders from commercial transportation firms, ship construction, repair and recycling, trade associations, state and local public entities, labor organizations, academics, and environmental groups that advise the Secretary and the Maritime Administration on policies to ensure that the U.S. Marine Transportation System is capable of responding to projected trade increases. The Committee advises the Secretary on solutions to impediments hindering effective use of short sea transportation and other matters as the Secretary determines.

More than 150 leaders in the cruise industry from around the world will meet here this week, as the Port of New Orleans hosts the 2016 Platinum Associate Membership Advisory Council Conference of the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA). Local elected officials and tourism leaders will meet with cruise executives from FCCA’s 19 Member Lines, along with key cruise tourism stakeholders, to update them on New Orleans' tourism economy, infrastructure and attractions. Presenters include Gary LaGrange, Port of New Orleans President and CEO; New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, Iftikhar Ahmad, Director of Aviation, Louis Armstrong International Airport…

The Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans is set to host the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), the largest gathering of Port and maritime professionals in the Western Hemisphere. The conference, scheduled for Oct. 23-26 at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel, will include technical and policy committee meetings, business sessions and social networking for port professionals and marine transportation leaders throughout the four-day event. “This year marks the seventh time New Orleans has played host to AAPA’s Annual Conference,” said Port President and CEO Gary LaGrange. "AAPA and our member ports are excited to be returning to New Orleans for our annual convention,” said AAPA President and CEO Kurt Nagle.

More containers moved through the Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal at the Port of New Orleans in March and April 2016 than in any two months in the port’s history. According to figures released this week, 50,974 twenty-foot-equivalent units moved through the Terminal in April, besting the previous monthly record of 48,594 TEUs in March of 2016. The two-month total of 99,568 TEUs is up 6.1 percent, compared to same two months in 2015. Surging container volumes come on the heels of higher overall cargo volumes in 2015.

The Port of New Orleans’ board of commissioners announced today that port president and chief executive officer Gary LaGrange will retire at the end of his current contract in April 2017.The board is expected to name the port’s current chief operating officer, Brandy Christian, as LaGrange’s successor. LaGrange, a 40-year veteran of the maritime industry, served as president and CEO of the Port of New Orleans since 2001. During his tenure, the port invested more than $500 million in infrastructure…

The Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans joined a host of elected officials and industry partners today to dedicate the Port’s new $25 million Mississippi River Intermodal Terminal. The terminal, made possible by a $16.7 million federal transportation TIGER grant, has a capacity of moving 160,000 twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) per year by rail. “This new terminal provides a highly efficient option for our customers moving cargo via rail,” said Gary LaGrange, Port President and CEO. The Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant provided about 68 percent of the total funding for the terminal.

Vice President Joe Biden toured the Port’s new Mississippi River Intermodal Terminal today before making remarks commemorating the 7th anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act at the Port’s Riverfront Plaza. “I’m here today to talk about smart investments we made in shaping the future of the economy in Louisiana and around the country,” Vice President Biden told a crowd of more than 150 invited guests at the Port. The Port received a $16.7 million Transportation…

Port of New Orleans cruise terminals handled more than 1-million passengers in 2015, totaling 1,023,700, up 1 percent compared to 2014. The total marks the fifth consecutive record year and with new and larger ships on tap for 2016, Port officials expect another robust cruise season. “Year-end numbers illustrate how popular the Port and the City of New Orleans are with cruise passengers throughout the nation,” said Gary LaGrange, Port President and CEO. Miami, Fla-based Carnival Cruise Line is increasing capacity on its year-round four- and five-day itineraries by 34 percent in April when the Carnival Triumph replaces the Carnival Elation in New Orleans. Also, Guilford, CT-based American Cruise Line will add a third riverboat named America to its home-ported fleet in New Orleans.

The Port of New Orleans has surpassed the half-million mark for twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEU) handled in a 12-month period for the first time, announced Port President and CEO Gary LaGrange during the 29th Annual State of the Port Address hosted today by the International Freight Forwarders and Customs House Brokers Association of New Orleans. “It’s another milestone that comes on the heels of four record years in a row,” LaGrange said. The most recent 12-month container data through September found the port handled 537,285 TEUs, a 13.6 percent increase over the same period one-year ago.

An agreement signed today by Port of New Orleans officials and industry leaders from the Central Ohio River corridor could help spur commerce between the two regions. The Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans and the Central Ohio River Business Association (CORBA) signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a working alliance to enhance cooperation and grow new business between the region and the Port. The two-year agreement with annual renewal options lays the groundwork for joint marketing activities, data interchange, regional market studies and cross training opportunities with the goal of developing new business and streamlining customer service between the Port and CORBA.

Designed to expand awareness of the economic impact of commerce on the Lower Mississippi River and highlight career opportunities and pathways, the Summit will feature an array of speakers from industry and academia, along with a panel discussion on how industry can collaborate with educators to fulfill current and future workforce opportunities. “This Summit is designed to educate community stakeholders of the economic impact of trade, transportation and logistics throughout the region and build a coalition of advocates to help leverage resources to develop a highly-skilled local workforce for the future,” said Gary LaGrange, Port President and CEO. The summit begins at 8:30 a.m. in the Great Hall of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

New Orleans’ number one cruise operator Carnival Cruise Line continues to expand its presence at the port and expects to carry a record 400,000 passengers from the Crescent City this year. Additionally, the cruise line estimates that next year it will welcome its three millionth passenger at the Port of New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. Carnival pioneered year-round cruising from New Orleans in 1994 and over the past two-plus decades has become the port’s largest cruise operator with two ships offering more than 125 four- to seven-day departures on an annual basis.

Green Marine, a North American environmental certification program for the marine, port and terminal industry, officially recognized the Port of New Orleans recently as a certified Green Port. The Port of New Orleans is the 8th U.S. Port to reach certification in the voluntary environmental certification program, which was created for the North American Maritime Industry. “Green Marine provided us with an action plan to help the Port reach the high environmental standards we set for ourselves,” said Gary LaGrange, Port President and CEO.

The Port of New Orleans and CN signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will see the parties develop greater supply chain efficiencies aimed at drawing more container traffic through the Port to North American markets. “We and our Port of New Orleans gateway partners have a mutual interest in ensuring the competitive and efficient movement of container goods through the gateway and growing its market share,” said JJ Ruest, CN’s executive vice president and chief marketing officer.

The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) applauded Senate passage over the past weekend of the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 (TPA-2015), and today sent a letter to House leadership to urge making passage of TPA-2015 a priority. Trade activity through seaports accounts for 26 percent of the U.S. economy, generates over 23 million American jobs, and provides over $320 billion in local, state and federal tax revenues, the AAPA noted.

Eddy Hayes, Chairman of the Board of Directors, World Trade Center of New Orleans, and Gary LaGrange, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Port of New Orleans, discuss New Orleans’ role as a key U.S. port city and address opportunities for  trade expansion. As New Orleans approaches her 2018 tricentennial we are reminded of New Orleans’ metamorphosis from accidental trading post to key port city. New Orleans has always been a port city, whether feeding the westward expansion of our nascent country through the Mississippi River…

U.S. The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality presented an Environmental Leadership Award to the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans at a ceremony held recently at DEQ’s headquarters in Baton Rouge, La. The award recognizes environmental achievement for voluntary pollution prevention efforts, community environmental outreach initiatives and environmental management systems that are above and beyond regulatory compliance. The port received its award March 25 for its Stormwater Management Program…

New Orleans builds enviable cruise traffic on top of a carefully crafted business plan. It may surprise you to learn that, on the lower Mississippi River, cruise traffic now accounts for over one fifth of all revenue at the Port of New Orleans, a major cargo hub. With recently modernized terminals, able to handle big ships, the Crescent City last year accommodated over a million cruise passengers, setting its fourth straight record. How they did it is perhaps more impressive than what they have created…