Massive rebuilding project has created a huge economic impact in the area
The Mississippi State Port Authority at Gulfport has progressed from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina 20 years ago to turning the corner from a massive rebuilding made possible with nearly $600 million in restoration funds from the federal government facilitated by then Gov. Haley Barbour. Today, it is a totally modernized, storm-resistant facility with an estimated $3.8-billion annual economic impact.
“While we have been around more than 100 years, we are really a different port,” said Jon Nass, CEO and Executive Director of the Port of Gulfport. “We are going out and telling potential users that. You can’t just sit back and wait for business to come to you. More and more people are finding out about us, and see our potential.”
An economic study done as part of the port’s master plan revealed that there are 3,600 people employed in and around the port.
“All the economic activity has increased hours for our longshoremen and those are great jobs paying more than $40 an hour for crane operators,” said Nass. “There are a host of ancillary jobs ranging all the way from high-tech manufacturing to mechanical work.”
Nass noted they are blessed with a beautiful facility after restoration, so modern that it still has “a new car smell” to it.
“Taken as a whole, the improvements over the past 20 years have made the Port infinitely more marketable,” said Nass. “I love getting potential tenants to the Gulf Coast to sell the port. Once you get people on that property, a lot are realizing the potential. It is easy to be enthusiastic about the port. I believe in our product. I believe in our team. All day long we are selling it. We are very fortunate to be stewards of this facility and are in a good position to attract private investment.”
Just a couple weeks after the 20th anniversary of Katrina, a major new ship-to-shore gantry crane arrived at the port that Nass said will help grow business, make operations more efficient, and increase the impact on local and state economies. The 1,500-ton crane is 300 feet tall–75 feet taller than current cranes.
The crane was purchased as part of a $43-million investment in the 38-acre Terminal Four by Ports America, the nation’s largest stevedoring company, as part of an agreement signed in 2023. Nass said the new crane represents a shift from decades of restoration of the Port of Gulfport to a future focused on economic growth, jobs and opportunities.
“This investment reflects the strength of our partnership with Ports America and underscores the importance of public-private investments that are transforming not only our port, but also the regional economy and the State of Mississippi,” said Nass. “The cranes are lined up on rails and move up and down the pier to load and unload the ships. Having a fourth crane is critical because now we can load or unload two vessels simultaneously.”
Matthew Leech, President and CEO of Ports America, said Ports America is honored to mark another milestone in its longstanding partnership with the Port of Gulfport.
“The arrival of the new ship-to-shore crane underscores our commitment to investing in Gulfport’s infrastructure, creating quality jobs and workforce development opportunities and strengthening the port’s role as a critical hub for maritime commerce and economic growth along the Gulf Coast,” said Leech.
The port is also home to the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) Roger F. Wicker Center for Ocean Enterprise, which is a global hub for advancing Uncrewed Maritime Systems (UMS), ocean data science, maritime cyber research and blue tech workforce training.
“The Center consists of multiple facilities bringing together federal, industry and academic partners creating a collaborative environment to accelerate the development and launch of new technology in the fast-growing ocean economy,” stated the USM Office of the Vice President for Research. “Entrepreneurs and startups developing solutions to global challenges come here to capitalize on world-class ocean research capabilities and connect to university research scientists.”
One of the most innovative companies to locate at the port is Ocean Aero, a drone manufacturer which relocated its headquarters from San Diego, CA, to the Port in 2023. Ocean Aero is approaching 100 jobs at the company’s headquarters and manufacturing center at the port. Currently Ocean Aero employees at the port are operating the unmanned vessels in the Great Lakes.
“That is the future for a lot of military applications, research applications and survey applications that include mapping underwater,” said Nass. “The routes are programmed ahead of time. The vessels operate like a robot. With the surveys, they call it cutting grass because the vessels move back and forth to cover an entire area. They are programmed, but humans are needed to make adjustments. These are not much bigger than a pleasure vessel. One Ocean Aero product is only 14 feet long. That one is used primarily for defense applications. Our focus with the Blue Economy is partnerships with USM, the private sector and government to bring more ocean technology and manufacturing to the Gulf Coast.”
Nass said the benefit of the focus on private investment is that private companies have the knowledge and incentives to make sure that there is a return on investments.
On the freight side, the port has been focused on private investment while also building commercial infrastructure. Nass manages a business development team and spends a lot of time on the road meeting with potential customers.
“We have the hard infrastructure and will continue to work on intermodal capacity moving cargo from ships to rails and highways,” said Nass. “A focus is on being able to move more cargo to the hinterlands of the U.S. As we grow and add more volume, we would like to put more of that on rail. We have a lot of customers. I’ve yet to meet one whose destination is a pier. What have to be cognizant of is origin to destination. We don’t just sell the port but access to where the products need to go. That is key to the successful marketing our port.”
Another focus is to add more cold storage in order to handle refrigerated cargo. The port has infrastructure for 1,400 refrigerator plugs, and the temperatures can be changed depending on needs.
“We can import bananas, and send frozen chicken back to where the bananas came from,” said Nass. “We are very focused on making sure those refrigerated containers have cargo in both directions because that is more efficient. Refrigerated containers cost ten times more than a regular container, so it makes it very important to fully utilize that capital asset. That is why refrigerated housing in proximity to the port is so important.”
Another initiative deepening and widening the Gulfport Ship Channel. While the present depth of 36 feet meets the needs of current customers, as the port grows, it will need a deeper channel. Nass said they have had wonderful support from the state’s Congressional Delegation and Gov. Tate Reeves, and are in year three wrapping up a feasibility study of deepening the channel to 46 feet. There is a trend worldwide for larger shipping vessels, and deepening the channel to 46 feet could accommodate the megaships.
Nass said Congress authorizes the Water Resource and Development Act every other year and will be doing it again in 2026. Nass said they hope the channel deepening project will be authorized in the next bill. That would be followed by securing funding, design work and construction.