Traffic and tonnage through the Port of Greater Baton Rouge increased significantly in 2021 as the facility continued improvements and prepared for construction to begin on Grön Fuels’ $9 billion renewable energy project, reports The Center Square.
The port’s 2021 comprehensive financial report highlights developments, operations and finances for the year ending December 31, 2021.
“The port’s public facilities handled 15,864,370 short tons in 2021, as compared to 13,355,767 short tons in 2020, an increase of 18.8%. While all facilities experienced increases, the greatest increase was at the petroleum terminal with a 165% increase,” records show.
“In 2021, there were 235 ship calls at the docks, a 24% increase over the previous year.”
The facility ranked seventh in the nation for total tonnage in 2020 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The port is working through a $16 million expansion of the Northern Berth to increase capacity for deep draft vessels, and expects to take possession this year of a new $6.9 million barge crane for Louis Dreyfus Commodities that will be paid for from the state’s capital outlay program.
Other improvements detailed in the report include the completion of $43.5 million in rail improvements to add capacity and a $5 million expansion of the Inland Rivers Marine Terminal storage container facility completed in 2021. Read the full story from The Center Square.
