The Mobile Harbor Modernization Project to deepen and widen the Port of Mobile is entering its final phase. Upon completion, the six-stage environmentally friendly project will give a significant advantage to shippers while also fostering economic development in Mobile and across the state.
“Beyond the economic impact, the Port is proud to have committed 100% of usable material from the channel to support environmentally beneficial projects throughout the Mobile Bay area, all of which are great examples of what can be accomplished when we work together,” said John Driscoll, CEO and Director of the Alabama Port Authority.
Jeff Collier, Mayor of Dauphin Island, noted that dredged materials from the project are being used on the island for shoreline restoration.
“Dauphin Island benefits not only from the Port’s economic impact but also from the environmentally beneficial use of material from projects like the deepening and widening,” said Collier. “With the breakwaters complete and thanks to a partnership between Mobile County, the Port, and the Corps, the shoreline restoration of our causeway — which is the only way on or off Dauphin Island by road — is now ready to take material from phase six of the harbor project. Separately, we plan to continue working with the Corps on beach replenishment efforts using material dredged from regular ship channel maintenance.”
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Chief Commercial Officer for the Alabama Port Authority, Beth Branch, explained that the project will allow the Port of Mobile to accommodate larger ships and also emphasized the port’s reputation for quick transport of goods.
“Vessel operators seek economies of scale through deploying larger ships and prioritize calling ports with the capability of handling these larger ships. After vessels transit the Panama Canal, we expect Mobile to be the first port of call in the Gulf because of our 50-foot depth. This means more cargo will be offloaded in Alabama, and then the vessels will go on to more shallow Gulf ports,” said Branch. “Beyond the increased depth, cargo owners know that when their container lands in Mobile, it will be moving through one of the most efficient container terminals in the U.S., which has the capacity and fluidity to get cargo to its destination quickly.”
The project began in May of 2021 and is on track to be completed in the first half of next year. The Alabama Port Authority serves all 67 counties in the state of Alabama and oversees the deep-water public port facilities at the Port of Mobile.
In addition to interstate, air, and rail, the Port Authority’s container, general cargo, and bulk facilities have immediate access to nearly 15,000 miles of inland waterways.
Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @ShipleyAusten
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