Serving every county in Alabama, the Port of Mobile is the deepest container port in the Gulf of America and the only seaport serving the state. Therefore, the Port of Mobile is super important to Alabama’s economy, delivering container, general cargo and break bulk facilities to keep goods moving and maintain its vital trade links. The Port of Mobile is overseen by the Alabama Port Authority (APA), which is responsible for the management of the port and its associated infrastructure. A key part of the Alabama Port Authority’s role is investing in the port’s infrastructure to enhance its ability to handle the increasing cargo demands of vessels arriving at the port every day.
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The Port of Mobile benefits from its enhanced position along vital transportation networks that allow the port to connect with the extensive inland waterway travelling across the U.S. via barge, the North/South and East/West interstate highways travelling across the state, as well as the rail network offering enhanced movement of cargo to and from the port, and then across the country. This enhanced connectivity means that the Port of Mobile is now one of the most prominent seaports in the United States, offering its customers enhanced connectivity across the nation to support local and international supply chains. Therefore, to optimise this vital transportation network at its disposal, the Port of Mobile today spans 18 diverse cargo handling facilities that deliver leading integrated port facilities to support customers’ supply chains from the very moment their goods arrive at the port.
One of the most valuable facilities is the Port of Mobile Container Terminal, which is operated by APM Terminals, an independent subsidiary of A.P. Møller – Mærsk. APM Terminals are leaders in global container terminal operations and so work alongside APA to operate the Mobile Container Terminal. The Mobile Container Terminal plays a key role in supporting the port’s total cargo capacities, which currently has a 650,000 twenty equivalent units (TEUs) capacity. Across the terminal, the port is able to handle almost all import and export cargoes; however most common cargo types include aggregates, automobiles, breakbulk, coal, cold storage, containers, forest products, general cargo, grain, liquid bulk, metal, and project cargo.
Over the years, the Port of Mobile has continued to expand under APA, who are focused on developing the Port to deliver it as a reliable aspect of customers’ supply chains across the US and beyond. To achieve this major investment projects has been carried out in recent years, including the Mobile Harbour Modernisation Project. The project, totalling £366 million in investment, is part of a state-federal partnership between APA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The project aims to deepen and widen the Mobile Shipping Channel in order to improve navigational efficiency, accommodate larger vessels and strengthen Alabama’s position as a global trade gateway. In October, APA celebrated that the modernisation project had been completed, and so the Port of Mobile now has a 50ft channel depth, making it the deepest container terminal in the Gulf of America. With an increased channel depth, the port can welcome larger vessels to help encourage large container ships to utilise the port, and in the process enhance strong trade links between Alabama and the rest of the world.
Announcing the completion of the project, Doug Otto, CEO and Director of APA outlined, “This investment isn’t just about depth – its about efficiency. The project’s enhancement allow for two-way vessel traffic and create nearly three miles of passing lane, improving safety, reducing transit times, allowing for more cargo, and delivering faster turnarounds for our customers. These capabilities strengthen the Port’s competitive position and make a compelling business case for shippers choosing Alabama as their gateway for global trade.” Otto’s comments here highlight just how valuable such projects as the Mobile Harbour Modernisation Project are for the port and the local economy. Therefore, to continue to develop the port following the project, APA are currently carrying out work on expanding the turning basin to ensure the port can continue to serve increasing cargo demands and vessel sizes for the future too.
One of the most vital recent developments for the Port of Mobile is the construction of a new container berth. In late October, APA and APM Terminal announced that they had signed an agreement to proceed with the construction of a 1,300ft berth. The £131 million project, funded by federal appropriation to APA and enhanced by private investment from APM Terminals, will see the next phase of the port’s growth. The new container berth is expected to expand the port’s existing berth capacity by 50% and will mean that the port will now be able to handle three ultra-large container vessels (ULCVs) simultaneously. Not only will this expansion significantly enhance the Port of Mobile’s cargo operations and capacity for container traffic traversing the Gulf Coast, but it will also help deliver the port as one of the country’s most competitive and resilient gateways.
Construction of the new berth is expected to begin in 2026, taking two years to complete. Once completed, the annual berth capacity of the Mobile Container Terminal will be 1.4 million TEU, supported by 7 ship-to-shore cranes. Furthermore, to help support this ongoing development, APA has extended APM Terminals’ concession for the Mobile Container Terminal, which will see APM Terminals operating the terminal until 2058, with two 10-year extension options. Doug Otto highlighted in the announcement of the new container berth agreement that “With the channel deepening complete, a new berth underway, the Phase IV expansion in progress, and APM Terminals’ continued partnership, we are connecting businesses across Alabama – and across the nation – to global markets faster and more efficiently than ever before.”
Otto’s comments highlight just how the new container berth, along with the existing modernisation projects, will boost the role of the port with increased operational flexibility, faster turnaround times and greater reliability to firmly position the port as a key shipping hub for the entire nation. Thus, with over a decade of shared progress already seen across the ports development under APA, and alongside APM Terminals, the Port of Mobile is now able to deliver supply chain resilience, and in the process support the economic development of the region.
Then, in December, APA announced the newest development of their modernisation plans with the General Cargo Modernisation Program. The program, totalling $100 million of federal investment, will see the redevelopment of Pier B South at the port. The redevelopment is a vital step in a multi-year and multi-phase plan that aims to modernise the Port’s general cargo terminal. The general cargo terminal is one of the original infrastructures of the port, dating back to the 1920s; therefore, with almost a century of operation, Pier B South is in need of redevelopment to meet the demand of today.
According to Doug Otto, “Pier B South has stood for nearly a hundred years as a symbol of Alabama’s global trade gateway through the Port of Mobile, and now we’re investing to ensure it remains an engine for the next hundred years”. Otto’s comments highlight the long and valuable role Pier B South has played in the port’s development; however, with the whole port developing towards the future, the implementation of vital modern infrastructure to meet the needs of today is necessary. Therefore, the redevelopment plan for Pier B south will see 1,500 linear feet of modern dock structure built, with the capacity to handle 1,500 pounds per square foot (psf) to accommodate mobile harbour cranes and other advanced cargo-handling equipment. In addition, the new dock structure will be served by rail, will be shore-power enabled and will seamlessly integrate into the port’s existing general cargo complex.
Across APA’s operations, there is a key current focus on modernising the Port of Mobile and its existing infrastructure to make it capable of handling increasing capacity of cargoes and vessel types, which in turn aims to increase the competitiveness of the port along national and international supply chains. Working alongside APM Terminals and local governmental figures, APA has been able to bring vital investment into the port to deliver its much-needed growth and maintain its role as the deepest container port along the Gulf coast.
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