Study looks at how La. can benefit from canal expansion

A new report says the volume of cargo containers passing through Louisiana ports will nearly triple over the next 20 years thanks to a $5.25 billion expansion of the Panama Canal. According to A.T. Kearney, a Dallas-based consultant who did a study for Louisiana Economic Development and the Louisiana Department of Transportation, while about 235,000 standard shipping containers passed through Louisiana ports in 2008, that number will increase to about 660,000 in 2028. “International trade has long been a major driver of Louisiana’s economy. With the upcoming expansion of the Panama Canal, the timing was right to take a hard look at how Louisiana can best position itself relative to attracting containerized cargo over the next 20 years,” says LED Secretary Stephen Moret. The report says the Port of New Orleans’ Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal should be able to handle the additional traffic through operational improvements and limited infrastructure development. William Ankner, DOTD secretary, says the Kearney report will serve as a blueprint for public policy decisions involving ports.