The Port of
New Orleans is a port located in New Orleans,
Louisiana. It is the 1st in the
United States based on volume of cargo handled, second-largest in the state after the
Port of South Louisiana, and 13th largest in the U.S. based on value of cargo. It also has the longest wharf in the
World, which is 2.01 miles (3.4 km) long and can accommodate 15 vessels at one time. The Port of New Orleans handles about 62 million short tons of cargo a year. The port also handles about 50,000 barges and 700,000 cruise passengers per year with several ships from Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian cruise lines making it one of the nation's premier cruise ports. The Port of South Louisiana, based in the New Orleans suburb of LaPlace, Louisiana handles 193 million short tons. The Port of New Orleans and the Port of South Louisiana combined forms one of the largest port systems in the world by bulk tonnage, and ranked top 10 in the world by annual volume handled.
Cruise Terminal Facilities:
The Port’s signature facility, the Erato St. Cruise Terminal and Parking Garage Complex, opened on October 15, 2006. It has full Customs and Border Protection clearance facilities, a large embarkation deck with over 50 check in counters, complete security facilities and a snack/curio shop. It is fully air-conditioned and is attached to the ship by a raised, articulated, air-conditioned gangway. The building includes a four level 1,000 car garage that offers the passenger convenient covered parking in a fully secure environment. The 8.3 thousand square meter Cruise Terminal has 792 meters of continuous water front with a depth of 9.1 meters.
The Port’s first cruise terminal, the Julia St. Cruise Terminal Complex, was started in 1991 in a building originally constructed for the 1984 World’s Fair in New Orleans. It has undergone four different configurations to adapt to the ever changing size of cruise ships. Currently, it includes two distinct terminals. The 2009 State Legislature has approved funding to once again improve the terminals, and the design/engineering phase to re-develop the terminal into one mega terminal complete with a raised, articulated, air-conditioned gangway has begun and the new terminal is scheduled to open in the winter of 2010. The terminal's two berths are a total of 609 meters long with alongside depth of 9.1 meters. Berth 1 has an almost four thousand square meter terminal, and Berth 2 has a 2.5 thousand square meter terminal. Both terminals have covered drive-in drop-off and pick-up areas.
