Page 69 - South Mississippi Living - August, 2021

story and photo courtesy of
Port of Gulfport
DID YOU KNOW?
• The Port of Gulfport is a deep-water, international seaport with more than 100 trading partners worldwide.
• Annually, the Port receives on average an excess of 600 vessels, as well as more than 2 million tons of cargo and over 200,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit).
• The Port has a diverse tenant mix including industries such as shipbuilding, manufacturing, tourism, education and cargo operations.
• The Port’s central location benefits our Nation’s military by serving as one of the 17 Strategic Seaports in the United States.
• As a key gateway for Central America, the Port of Gulfport is the second largest green fruit import facility in the United States.
• The Port’s channel is dredged to its full operational depth of 36 feet.
environment that inspires innovation and expands the maritime technical workforce,” Nass said. “The Port of Gulfport is an integral part of that future.”
As the Port continues to invest in building infrastructure to accommodate global market needs, it is also taking a front seat in developing private/public partnerships. From serving as home port for USM’s R/V Point Sur to the Marine Research Center, and now the construction of the Roger F. Wicker Center for Ocean Enterprise, expected to be complete in April 2022, these partnerships continue to open doors
for blue economy commerce. The new center will encompass nearly 62,000
square feet, include administrative offices, classrooms, and laboratories.
The Port of Gulfport exists as an economic development agency with transportation at the core of its daily operations. While the Port has often been locally associated with cargo operations, it has abundant potential to become equally well-known as an epicenter
of marine research and technology.
Hard work and dedication over the
years have created a diverse mix of industries present at the Port. Today, the potential for even more innovation and diversification is being realized as the Port of Gulfport revitalizes its commitment to solidifying the economic and maritime integrity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living | www.smliving.net
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