Plaquemines Port Harbor & Terminal District

What Plaquemines Port Harbor & Terminal District does

Plaquemines Port Harbor & Terminal District, operating under the trade name Louisiana Gateway Port, is a public port authority and political subdivision of the State of Louisiana headquartered in Belle Chasse. Founded in 1954, the port manages the first 81 miles of the Mississippi River from the Gulf inland, providing deep-draft navigation access, anchorage services, and intermodal connectivity to inland U.S. markets. Its core infrastructure includes a 50-foot authorized channel with no air-draft limits and 14 major anchorages that allow staging of the largest ocean-going vessels on the river. The port ranks among the Top 20 largest U.S. ports by total tonnage and supports approximately $6.5 billion in annual economic output and roughly one in every five maritime jobs in Louisiana.

The port's service portfolio comprises Marine Terminals (navigation access and berthing for ocean-going vessels, with cargo handling performed by private terminal operators within the district), the Plaquemines Parish Ferry Service providing vehicle and passenger transit between Belle Chasse and Scarsdale, Navigation Channel Access for vessel staging, and Business & Shipping coordination services spanning river, rail, road, and barge connections to more than 30 U.S. states. The organization also operates a Public Records Center that publishes economic impact data and official statements.

Revenue is generated almost exclusively through regulated port tariffs and fees charged to vessels and cargo operators for navigation access, anchorage, and infrastructure usage, supplemented by ferry fares. The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales, with direct engagement of cargo owners, carriers, 3PLs, site selectors, and energy sector customers (including LNG exporters). Primary customer segments are horizontal across shipping, logistics, energy, and local commuter use of the ferry.

Name

Plaquemines Port Harbor & Terminal District

Legal name

Plaquemines Port, Harbor & Terminal District

Website

https://portofplaquemines.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Louisiana Gateway Port (Plaquemines Port Harbor & Terminal District) is a Louisiana public port authority managing the first 81 miles of the Mississippi River, providing deep-draft vessel access, 14 anchorages, ferry service, and intermodal connectivity for cargo owners, carriers, 3PLs, and LNG exporters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Deepwater Port & Maritime Services

NAICS

Port and Harbor Operations (488310), Coastal and Great Lakes Passenger Transportation (483114), Inland Water Transportation (48321), Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation (48311)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400), Local & Suburban Transit & Interurban Hwy Passenger Trans (4100)

akta.pro primary industry

Gateway Container Terminals (Import/Export) (TLAHAAAB)

Keywords

• Deepwater port services
• Marine terminal operations
• Ferry transportation services
• Port navigation infrastructure
• Intermodal cargo logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

Belle Chasse

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Port Tariffs and Fees: Revenue generated through port tariffs charged to vessels and cargo operators for navigation access, anchorage services, and port infrastructure usage. As a public port authority, the port generates revenue through regulated tariff schedules for vessel and cargo services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Louisiana Gateway Port provides deep-draft vessel navigation access through a 50-foot authorized channel on the Lower Mississippi River, marine terminal berthing services, vessel anchorage staging across 14 major anchorages, and the Plaquemines Parish Ferry Service for community river crossings. Cargo handling and terminal operations are conducted by private operators within the port district, while the Port coordinates intermodal connectivity through river, rail, road, and barge networks reaching 30+ U.S. states for cargo owners, carriers, 3PLs, and energy exporters.

Product overview

Louisiana Gateway Port (formerly Plaquemines Port Harbor & Terminal District) is a public port authority operating as a single unified deepwater port facility. The Port provides integrated services including marine terminal operations with 50-foot deep navigation channel access, vessel anchorage management, the Plaquemines Parish Ferry Service for vehicle and passenger transit, and business/shipping coordination services. Cargo handling and terminal operations are conducted by private operators within the port district. The Port supports multiple cargo types including LNG, agricultural commodities, containers, breakbulk, and project cargo, while providing intermodal connectivity through river, rail, and highway networks to 30+ U.S. states.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Marine Terminals Deep-draft port infrastructure providing navigation access and berthing services for ocean-going vessels, supporting cargo handling operations conducted by private terminal operators within the port district.
• Plaquemines Parish Ferry Service Vehicle and passenger ferry service operated by the Port, providing critical river crossings and community connectivity between Belle Chasse and Scarsdale across the Mississippi River using the M/V Plaquemines Pride.
• Navigation Channel Access 50-foot authorized deep-water navigation channel with no air-draft limits, accommodating the largest vessels on the Mississippi River and providing access to 14 major anchorages for efficient vessel staging and sequencing.
• Business & Shipping Services Services for cargo owners, carriers, 3PLs, and site selectors including predictable vessel windows, faster cargo turns, and inland reach through river, rail, road, and barge connections along the lower Mississippi River reaching 30+ U.S. states.
• Public Records Center Official statements, economic impact data, media assets, public agendas, economic impact analyses, and market analysis reports accessible to journalists, policymakers, and stakeholders.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supports $6.5 billion in annual economic output
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Port of Corpus Christi: Leading U.S. energy export port on the Gulf Coast, with major LNG and crude oil throughput. Comparable due to similar deep-draft energy export profile, Gulf-coast location, and direct competition for LNG, crude, and breakbulk volumes.
• Port of New Orleans: Major deepwater port authority on the Lower Mississippi River handling container, breakbulk, and cruise operations. Directly comparable as another Louisiana deep-draft port authority with overlapping customer base and cargo types.
• Port of Greater Baton Rouge: Deepwater port authority on the Mississippi River serving petrochemical, agricultural, and forest product shippers. Comparable as a Mississippi River public port authority serving industrial and energy cargoes with deep-draft access.
• Port of South Louisiana: Operates the largest U.S. port by tonnage on the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Directly comparable as a deepwater port authority on the Lower Mississippi River serving bulk, container, and breakbulk cargo with similar intermodal connectivity.

Regional players

• Port of Galveston: Texas Gulf-coast public port authority handling cruise, container, and bulk cargoes. Comparable as a Gulf-coast public port authority with multi-purpose operations, though more cruise-focused than Plaquemines' energy and bulk mix.
• Tampa Port Authority: Florida Gulf-coast public port authority handling container, bulk, and cruise operations. Comparable as a Gulf-coast public port authority with multi-purpose operations, though serving a different geographic market from Plaquemines.
• Port of Mobile: Public deepwater port authority in Alabama serving container, bulk, and steel cargoes with growing intermodal reach. Comparable as a Gulf-coast deep-draft public port competing for container, steel, and project cargo volumes in the southeastern U.S.
• Port of Beaumont: Gulf-coast public port authority with significant energy and military cargo throughput in Southeast Texas. Comparable due to overlapping energy-sector (LNG, crude) cargo profile and Gulf-coast deep-draft infrastructure.
• Port of Lake Charles: Gulf-coast public port authority with significant LNG, petrochemical, and agricultural throughput in southwest Louisiana. Comparable due to overlapping LNG export focus and Louisiana energy-sector customer base, though it serves a different stretch of the Gulf coastline.

Broad incumbents

• Port Houston: Largest Gulf Coast container port and one of the largest U.S. ports by tonnage, operating container terminals and bulk facilities. Comparable as a major Gulf deep-draft public port competing for container, energy, and breakbulk volumes across overlapping hinterlands.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PlaqueminesPort
• Facebookfacebook.com/100511373659055
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/plaquemines-port-harbor-terminal-district

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Plaquemines Port Harbor & Terminal District