Construction work began recently on the new oil and refined products terminal project in Plaquemines Parish, La.

Occupying 158 acres located on the lower Mississippi River, the NOLA Oil Terminal will be the first of its kind in the region, allowing Mississippi River access for much larger vessels than before, including Panamax and Suezmax tankers.

"Crude oil and clean petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel are significant trade products for Louisiana, but we aren't able to take advantage of the larger vessels," Christian Amedee, COO of NOLA Oil Terminal, said in a statement. "That changes today. This terminal will be the first in the area to be able to accommodate vessels that currently are too large and deep to dock in the Mississippi River or in most Gulf of Mexico and Eastern Seaboard ports.

Amedee went on to explain that the project, when completed, will be the newest facility along the lower Mississippi River and is poised to add further value by offering blending, storing and transferring needs with a superior geographical location.

NOLA Oil Terminal also will be only the Mississippi River wharf to handle 1,200-ft. vessels. The initial water-side phase of the project includes two deep water berths able to accommodate large tankers and one barge dock. These two berths will be capable of mooring 170,000-ton vessels. The barge dock will serve both inland and oceangoing tank barges.

Land-side construction constitutes the second phase of the project, the Maritime Executive reported Dec. 10.

Financing for the first phase of the project, a $300 million wharf and dock bond funding, was the largest bond issue approved by the Port of Plaquemines in more than 50 years. The total project is projected to cost $930 million.

In addition to opening new channels to import and export crude oil and other clean petroleum products, NOLA Oil Terminal expects to create more than 1,000 construction jobs through completion of phases one and two. The completed terminal is expected to sustain from 30 to 40 permanent jobs in Plaquemines Parish.

Phase one, the wharves and docks, is projected to be completed in mid-2022. All required permits are in place, and site preparation including site clearing, open channel drainage, construction access roadways, geotechnical investigations and pile load tests, and environmental studies have been finished.

The land-side section that encompasses Phase two remains in the development phase and no timeline has yet been announced for this work.

Once the NOLA Oil Terminal is completed and operational, it will be able to accommodate up to six tankers each week. The completed structure, which will be built within Phase two, is expected to have a storage capacity of up to 10 million barrels. The company also has options to add refined products to the facility.

Separately, Plaquemines Port also is looking at building a large container terminal approximately 50 mi. from the Gulf of Mexico. In May 2021, APM Terminals entered into an agreement to explore the development of the multi-modal facility. The proposal calls for up to 1,000 acres and 8,200 ft. of Mississippi River frontage.

Phase One of construction for that container terminal is expected to require two years and would provide the capability to handle 22,000-TEU class vessels with the ability to expand capacity if needed.

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