Proceedings magazine is a communication tool for the Coast Guard's Marine Safety & Security Council. Each quarterly magazine focuses on a specific theme of interest to the marine industry.
Issue link: https://uscgproceedings.epubxp.com/i/707823
48 Proceedings Summer 2016 www.uscg.mil/proceedings environmental certification program, the "Green Marine" initiative, which addresses key environmental issues in the maritime industry through its 12 performance indicators. The Port of New Orleans' environmental services depart- ment is also responsible for the "Keep It Clean" campaign, which won a national environmental improvement award from the American Association of Port Authorities. About the author: Matt Gresham joined the Port of New Orleans three weeks prior to Hur- ricane Katrina's landfall, and worked as a communications specialist and legislative liaison during the port's recovery and rebuilding. He has served as the port's director of external affairs since 2012. He also serves as a mem- ber of the Public Relations-Government Relations Committee of the Ameri- can Association of Port Authorities; as an active member of the Louisiana Maritime Association and the Coastal Ports Advisory Council; and on the boards of the Gulf Ports Association of the Americas, the Ports Association of Louisiana, and the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Naviga- tion Focus Group. He is a graduate of Nicholls State University. Endnotes: 1. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Ocean Service Magazine, 3/29/12. 2. "The Economic Impact of Deepening the Mississippi River to 50 Feet," Dr. Timothy Ryan, Ph.D., August 22, 2013. 3. 2015 Port of New Orleans Annual Report. Industrial Real Estate In further positive news, the port's industrial real estate portfolio is producing strong results, as well. In the years since closing the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet (MR-GO), port officials worked to reimage the property into an inter- national logistics hub, with firms adding value to cargo in New Orleans. Today, the port has 42 leases covering about 500 acres and generating $6 million in annual rev- enue — nearly double the revenue from when the MR-GO was open to deep-draft shipping. 3 Fortunately, due to the more than $14 billion invested in surge barriers and armored levees by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the New Orleans area, the port's property along the inner harbor navigation canal is the only surge- protected waterfront property on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. Interest in those properties remains strong, and port officials anticipate additional growth. Environmental Initiatives With every sector of the port's business portfolio realizing strong results, port officials have also reinvested in smart growth through its environmental efforts. For example, the Port of New Orleans recently became only the 8 th U.S. port to earn "green port" certification via a voluntary For more information: Port statistics courtesy of the Port of New Orleans. For more information, visit www.portno.com.