Tables were piled high with crawfish, corn, and potatoes as more than 100 guests gathered under the trees at the Port of South Louisiana’s Globalplex facility in Reserve, Louisiana to celebrate Maritime Day — and mark the Port of South Louisiana’s 65th anniversary.
The moment was a milestone for an operation that has grown from modest beginnings in 1960 into America’s largest tonnage port district and a vital multi-modal facility handling approximately 238 million tons of cargo annually.
“I want everybody to give a hand to those here today celebrating 65 years of the Port of South Louisiana,” said Paul Matthews, the Port’s Executive Director. “That’s 65 years of being the number one tonnage port in Louisiana and the second largest port in the western hemisphere.”
Attendees included Port commissioners, executives, current and former employees, local and state elected officials, and representatives from shipping lines, terminal operators, and major industrial players who anchor the River Parishes economy. Matthews and other leaders offered remarks highlighting the port’s pivotal role in global trade as guests mingled, swapped business cards, and toasted to continued success for the Port of South Louisiana.
Though many U.S. ports predate it by centuries, the Port of South Louisiana’s achievements stand out among the nation’s maritime giants. New England ports trace their origins to the 1600s, ranking among the oldest in the country. Even the Port of New Orleans dates back to 1718, founded by the French.
“When you compare PortSL to other ports around the country that have been around for centuries, we have accomplished so much in so little time and have done more with less,” Matthews said. “And we keep going. The River Parishes continue to punch well above their weight class.”
Spanning 54 miles along the Mississippi River, the port encompasses the parishes of St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, and St. James. It serves as a vital hub in the Lower Mississippi River industrial corridor. PortSL was created to capitalize on the region’s natural strengths, including deep-draft access and excellent transportation connectivity.
Early Days
The global transition to standardized shipping containers in the late 1960s profoundly transformed logistics worldwide. During this period, the Mississippi River’s importance surged as a major route for Midwest grain exports and expanding petroleum trade.
Speaking at the anniversary event, Julia Fisher Cormier, Commissioner of the Office of Multimodal Commerce, said, “I visited the Port of Fourchon to celebrate their 65th anniversary recently, too. I guess our forefathers, sometime in the 1960s, were intuitive enough to realize we needed some ports to get things done. We’re lucky to have the foresight from those who created these ports and lucky to have the leadership here at the Port of South Louisiana and other lower Mississippi ports.”
Building a Brand
Brand recognition posed a significant challenge for PortSL in the late 1990s, an issue Gary LaGrange encountered firsthand when he became executive director in 1997 after 21 years with the Port of West St. Mary in Franklin.
“Without a doubt, the biggest challenge when I took over was the issue of recognition and brand name,” LaGrange said. “Back then, U.S. Customs established the boundaries for tonnage classification along the Mississippi River, and everything was labeled under the Port of New Orleans. This meant that PortSL wasn’t given due credit.”
Deepening, Expanding, and Diversifying
Since 2016, the Mississippi River has been dredged three times to deepen the navigation channel from 42 to 50 feet. This allows larger post-Panamax vessels—ships too large for the original Panama Canal locks—to access upriver ports. These vessels can measure up to 1,200 feet long and 160 feet wide.
These advances coincided with major developments at PortSL facilities, which LaGrange described as an enormous opportunity.
“The biggest highlight for me was the transformation of the old Godchaux-Henderson sugar mill site in Reserve, Louisiana, into what is now the Globalplex Intermodal Terminal,” he said. “The site was developed to include cranes, warehouses, and transit sheds designed for the short-term storage of cargo before it’s transferred by truck, rail, barge, or ship. This meant that instead of relocating after Katrina, Crystal Hot Sauce, for example, decided to stay, marking Globalplex’s emergence as a fully functional cargo port for the first time.”
Resilience in the Post-Katrina Era
After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, PortSL sustained only limited damage and remained operational. This underscored its strategic importance to the U.S. economy and supply chains and enabled the port to play a key role in the region’s recovery.
“During Katrina, the Mandeville Street dock right next to the French Quarter caught on fire,” LaGrange recalled. “There was no way to fight the fire from land because there was no water pressure. The only way to fight it was from the fire boats on the river. One of the first on the scene was the Port of South Louisiana’s rescue runner.”
In the years following Katrina, significant federal and state investments modernized PortSL’s infrastructure and improved hurricane protection. The port also diversified its cargo beyond agriculture and energy to include chemicals, steel, and industrial materials.
The Globalplex Intermodal Terminal saw major upgrades to improve barge, rail, and truck integration, alongside rail enhancements through Canadian National (CN), Union Pacific (UP), and Kansas City Southern (KCS).
PortSL was also designated a key national security asset, securing grants under the Maritime Transportation Security Act to bolster cybersecurity, surveillance, and emergency operations.
Looking Ahead
Today, PortSL moves roughly 15% of all U.S. waterborne commerce and is home to more than 50 large industrial facilities. It remains the nation’s No. 1 grain exporting port and a leading hub for energy commodities.
The port is investing in resilient infrastructure, emissions reduction, and expanded Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) capacity to remain competitive in a shifting global logistics landscape.
PortSL recently announced that Woodland Biofuels will develop a $1.35 billion carbon-negative renewable natural gas and ultra-green hydrogen facility at the port, using waste biomass to produce fuel and sequester CO₂, with the first phase expected to begin operations by 2028.
Governor Jeff Landry issued a statement recognizing PortSL on its 65th anniversary, highlighting its vital role in Louisiana and beyond.
“For more than six decades, the Port of South Louisiana has stood as a pillar of economic strength, not only for our state but for the entire nation,” Landry said. “The Port of South Louisiana’s continued growth and success reflect the unwavering dedication of its leadership, the hard work of its employees, and the steadfast commitment of all those who support its mission. I commend and congratulate the Port of South Louisiana on their 65th Anniversary and express deep gratitude for all their contributions to the state of Louisiana.”
At the end of the day, the celebration felt as much like a family reunion as an official commemoration — underscoring the deep connections between the port, its workers, and the surrounding communities that depend on its prosperity.
