On June 9, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced a $1.6 million CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to the Water Institute of the Gulf, Baton Rouge, LA, to develop the Lower Mississippi SmartPort and Resilience Center (i.e., SmartPort).
The state of Louisiana and other partners will match an additional $1.4 million for SmartPort, in order to streamline operations and improve safety through real-time data shared by port administrators, tenants, shippers, and warehouse, cargo, and ground transportation providers.
In the initial phase, the project plans to install sensors in and nearby locations of Lower Mississippi Ports to track real time traffic, water depth, and sediment level, in addition to developing wave and shoaling forecasting tools to improve operational efficiency and better emergency preparedness.
The second phase of the project plans to digitally connect container depots, road transporters, dock terminals, shipping lines, warehouses, and cargo operators to the port’s supply chain.
In 2020, New Orleans shipped 78 million tons of grain to export markets, accounting for half of the U.S. total bulk grain exports for the year.
