Today, the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) swore in Captain Melanie Montroll as the new Chief of its Harbor Police Department (HPD), becoming the department’s first woman and first African American woman Chief of Police. Montroll succeeds Chief Robert Hecker, who retires after having led HPD for more than 26 years.

Montroll was sworn in today by Brandy D. Christian, President and CEO of the Port of New Orleans and CEO of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad. Congressman Troy A. Carter Sr. was present to provide congratulatory remarks and a Congressional proclamation.

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) has named Assistant Chief Melanie Montroll as Chief of its Harbor Police Department (HPD), following a rigorous national search that included a number of highly qualified candidates. She is a 21-year veteran of the force and will serve as the department’s first woman Chief of Police. Montroll succeeds Chief Robert Hecker, who will retire after having led HPD for more than 26 years.

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) is hosting a series of open houses in St. Bernard Parish to share information and invite community input about the Louisiana International Terminal (LIT) project. The proposed $1.5 billion container terminal in Violet will meet changing industry needs, serve as a major economic catalyst in St. Bernard Parish, and keep Louisiana competitive with other U.S. ports.

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) has been awarded a fifth round of grant funding to continue its award-winning air quality initiative, the Clean Truck Replacement Incentive Program (Clean TRIP). With this latest round, the Clean TRIP funding is able to expand eligibility to include drayage trucks serving port terminals within the entirety of its three-parish jurisdiction (Jefferson, St. Bernard, and Orleans).

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) ended the year in 2021 strengthening its economic benefit to the region and state with wins across all four of its lines of business: cargo, rail, industrial real estate and cruise. The calendar year closed with breakbulk and bulk volumes up 46% from calendar year 2020. Port NOLA moved 2.4 million short tons last year in comparison to 1.7 million short tons in 2020.

The Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans selected new officers with the election of Charles H. Ponstein as Chairman, Jack C. Jensen, Jr. as Vice Chairman and Joseph F. Toomy as Secretary-Treasurer during the monthly Board meeting Dec. 16.

Today, Governor John Bel Edwards welcomed four new 100-foot-gauge container gantry cranes to the Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal at the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA), the culmination of a more than 15,643-nautical mile journey from Shanghai, China. The $112 million investment, which included $49 million for the construction and delivery of the cranes, and $63 million to modernize the wharf and extend the crane rail infrastructure, began in 2019 when Port NOLA’s Board of Commissioners approved the project. The four new gantry cranes are essential to Port NOLA’s overall plan for the gateway, which includes optimizing facilities in New Orleans and building the Louisiana International Terminal, a new container terminal, in St. Bernard Parish.

The arrival of the Norwegian Breakaway on Nov. 21, 2021 at the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) signaled the start of a big comeback for cruise ship operations. The Breakaway joins the Carnival Glory and Valor who successfully restarted ocean-going cruises in September and early November.

Several south Louisiana ports partnered to request federal assistance as a result of the impacts of Hurricane Ida on their infrastructure, waterways and communities. The Ports of New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Fourchon, Morgan City, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, South Louisiana and Terrebonne formally submitted a request to President Biden on Sept. 7, 2021, to ensure ports are included in bills for urgent funding from Congress.

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) container vessel operations resumed today, Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021, just nine days after Hurricane Ida made landfall in southeast Louisiana as a category 4 storm. The first two ships worked at the Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal were the MSC Charleston at New Orleans Terminal and the Hapag Lloyd CSL Manhattan at Ports America. Seacor’s container on barge service will be worked tonight by Ports America.

Carnival Cruise Line announced today that it has an agreement with the city of New Orleans and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide Carnival Glory for first responders housing through Sept. 18.

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) resumed limited cargo and vessel operations, beginning with breakbulk vessel cargo, Sept. 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.