Centrally located along the northern Gulf, port facilities of Alabama and Mississippi are looking to handle increasing cargo volumes as they beef up infrastructure and augment service offerings.

With extensive investments from both public and private sectors, these mid-Gulf seaports rely upon their intermodal connections to furnish ready access to Chicago and other key markets of the Midwest and beyond.

Proceeding from east to west, here is an individual look at what’s happening at key port installations of this two-state region:

APM Terminals Mobile offers simultaneous berthing for multiple vessels at what is becoming the deepest container terminal along the Gulf.

Alabama Port Authority

On track for completion this summer, the project bringing the Port of Mobile’s lower harbor depth to 50 feet from 45 feet which makes it among the deepest container terminals along the U.S. Gulf, according to Alabama Port Authority officials, who promote the facility as the nation’s fastest-growing container terminal over the past five years. The terminal, which offers three-day intermodal service from ship to Chicago, is expanding annual throughput capacity to 1 million 20-foot-equivalent units, with a target of 2.5 million TEUs at full build-out.

The state authority is investing more than $1 billion in capital projects throughout Alabama, including in development of an inland container transfer facility in Montgomery, set to open in 2027. Additional projects include an inter-terminal connector bridge for on-dock rail, a logistics park and modernization of general cargo piers.

Billed as offering the nation’s largest steel terminal, the Port of Mobile ranks second in breakbulk forest product shipments. The port offers direct access to five Class I railroads and four short lines, 15,000 miles of inland waterways, an international airport, and Interstate 10 and I-65.

Millard Maritime
A barge is unloaded at the deepwater port facility of Millard Maritime, situated about 15 miles south of Mobile, Alabama.

Millard Maritime

Situated about 15 miles south of Mobile, in Theodore, Alabama, closer to the Mobile Bay entrance from the Gulf of America, Millard Maritime is expanding leasing opportunities at its privately owned and operated deepwater port facility.

Offering 300 acres of appropriately zoned land for future industrial development, the Millard Maritime installation features 50,000 square feet of covered warehouse space, with peak clearance of 69 feet at the center and vertical end walls. The 1,600-foot-long dock with 40-foot alongside draft is capable of accommodating a broad range of vessel types carrying a wide variety of cargos, including bulk and breakbulk goods. Crossdock and transload services, as well as barge fleeting, are available.

The facility’s multimodal links include CSX rail service, with 150 railcar spots and ample room for expansion, while the port’s location near the intersection of north-south Interstate 65 and east-west I-10 facilitates efficient truck connectivity throughout the U.S. South and beyond.

Port Pascagoula
Bulk and breakbulk cargo activity continues to be the focus at the Jackson County Port Authority’s newly rebranded Port Pascagoula.

Port Pascagoula

Newly rebranded as simply Port Pascagoula – dropping the “of” – the Jackson County Port Authority installation just across the state line into Mississippi from Alabama has confirmed its long-established niche market of forest and lumber products via a recently completed Hatch Ltd. master plan. While focus remains on bulk and breakbulk commodities, Port Pascagoula officials, led by Pascagoula native Bo Ethridge entering his third year as port director, are charting a new course for economic growth as they begin implementation of plans for expansion, including early discussions related to log exports.

Port Pascagoula’s plans include maximization of underutilized assets, with G&H Warehouses once again receiving ships and handling cargo. Also, the port is seeing greater import activity, particularly on Alexander & Blake vessels, and the port’s partnership with Oslo Bulk continues to support imports of paper rolls for Georgia Pacific.

All told, Port Pascagoula anticipates calls from more than 100 cargo ships at its public terminals in 2025, a dramatic increase over prior recent years. And intermodal operations are on the upswing, with railcar movements now occurring on a weekly basis.

Port of Gulfport
The Mississippi State Port Authority’s Port of Gulfport looks to add a fourth ship-to-shore crane plus its fourth Crowley service.

Mississippi State Port Authority

About 35 miles west of Pascagoula, the Mississippi State Port Authority’s Port of Gulfport is poised for growth at its central location on the northern Gulf, with additions on both infrastructure and service fronts. The port, which handles a variety of containerized and noncontainerized cargos, boasts more than 5,000 linear feet of berthing, 600,000 square feet of covered warehousing, ample laydown space and 1,400 on-terminal refrigerated plugs. Interstate 10 is just a 10-minute drive from the port gate.

This summer, the Port of Gulfport is scheduled to take delivery of its fourth 100-ton-capacity ship-to-shore gantry and see startup of a fourth weekly Crowley container service, with the latest offering – the Gulf Express – directly linking Gulfport with the Mexican port of Tuxpan. The new service is to combine with on-dock Class I intermodal rail service in providing a nonstop route to Chicago for double-stacked railcars, including refrigerated units, in less than 24 hours via Canadian National Railway, with additional express access to CanadaRail.

Ports America has committed to investing $43 million in development of Terminal 4 at the Port of Gulfport.