A long-discussed plan to deepen the lower Mississippi River by another five feet to accommodate larger ships has won a critical endorsement from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which foresees nearly $110 million in annual net economic benefits to the project.

As it charts a course for at least the next decade, the Port of New Orleans is weighing nearly $2 billion worth of potential projects to support its growing cargo, rail, cruise ship and industrial real estate businesses.

Increasingly pressed for space upriver as cargo business continues to grow, Port of New Orleans officials are looking at the idea of building a new $1 billion-plus container terminal and distribution facility on a 675-acre undeveloped tract of land in nearby Meraux — a project that could create thousands of jobs and provide a major boost to St. Bernard Parish’s long-stagnant economy.

It may have been his 16th and final State of the Port address, but Gary LaGrange didn't sound ready to step back.

After months of rumors, the Chiquita company is moving its cargo business back to Gulfport, Mississippi, nearly two years after its heralded return to New Orleans.

Two years after a celebrated homecoming, Chiquita Brands International is considering moving its cargo business elsewhere. This left Port of New Orleans, Louisiana, officials scrambling May 11 to try to keep the company from again leaving the city that was once the country’s top banana importer.