American Patriot Holdings proposes river ships moving upstream at 13 mph carry 2,375 ocean-going cargo containers and call on Memphis
A Louisiana group has proposed locating a ship terminal in Memphis able to handle ocean-going freight containers.
Plaquemines Port Harbor and Terminal District on Thursday announced a letter of intent to explore putting small container ships on the Mississippi River and using a Port of Memphis facility as a major hub.
Barges pushed by towboats currently move on the river at Memphis but not ships, which are barred by the low bridges just upriver from New Orleans.
American Patriot Holdings, a company involved in the deal, said it has underway the design of a fleet of innovative ships able to navigate the river. The ships would be capable of moving upstream at speeds up to 13 mph and carrying up to 2,375 cargo containers. Towboats currently are able to handle about 16 barges.
In Memphis, the city-county EDGE Board said the Port of Memphis is waiting to see whether American Patriot and Plaquemines Port Harbor move ahead on the project. A possible site for the container terminal would be the former Allen Fossil Fuel Steam Plant fronting McKellar Lake Harbor, an inlet on the river adjoining the Presidents Island industrial park
Charles Vance, spokesman for the EDGE economic development agency, said the Louisiana group is presently in the early stages of determining the project’s financial feasibility.
In the announcement, Miami-based American Patriot said its would reloy on “patented no-wake bow and exoskeleton structure, along with LNG propulsion” and be able to “reduce shipper transportation costs and improve reliability as they could potentially service inland container centers in around St. Louis, Jefferson City, Little Rock, Memphis, Joliet, Kansas City, Cairo and Western Arkansas.”
Midwest shippers would containerize and export farm products, refrigerated cargo and chemical resins aboard the vessels, the announcement says.
Freight moving on the river competes with rail and truck lines.
This story will be updated.
Read or Share this story: https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/money/2020/08/13/plaquemines-port-harbor-trade-group-proposes-memphis-hub-river-cargo/3365353001/
