The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) resumed limited cargo and vessel operations, beginning with breakbulk vessel cargo, September 2, 2021, just four days after Hurricane Ida made landfall in southeast Louisiana as a category 4 storm. New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB) operations have also resumed with modified hours.

The multimodal port said in its statement it will resume container operations at the Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal Tuesday, September 7.

Port crews, terminal operators and tenants continue to prepare facilities for the resumption of operations more broadly. On September 1, 2021, the U.S. Coast Guard reopened the Lower Mississippi River to all vessel traffic from mile marker 105 to the mouth of the river. Navigation on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway east of the Mississippi River through the Inner Harbor Canal Lock has also resumed.

The port’s terminals and industrial real estate properties sustained no major damage, due to their location within the $14 billion federal Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System. Immediately following Hurricane Ida, Port NOLA implemented its hurricane restoration plan, locating employees, assessing facility impacts, and coordinating with state and local agencies.

Seven general cargo vessels remained in port during Hurricane Ida, and cargo operations for these vessels resumed on September 2 beginning with the MV Ishizuchi Star, discharging steel at Coastal Cargo at the Louisiana Avenue Complex.

NOPB operations also resumed with modified hours of operation to connect with BNSF Railway, Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific with uninterrupted service, and CN, CSX and KCS with limited service, the port informed.