Port of Gulfport to begin expansion

Port of Gulfport to begin expansion    The Port of Gulfport held a ceremony Thursday afternoon to mark the beginning of work on an expansion of the port.
   The Clarion Ledger said the port plans to build on 20 acres on the West Pier using $22.5 million in federal funds provided for Hurricane Katrina relief.
   The paper also said that Gov. Haley Barbour has set aside $570 million in Community Development Block Grant funds to elevate the port to 25 feet above sea level. That’s opposed by groups that say the funds should be used for housing.
   Last October, the Mississippi State Port Authority approved a long-range plan to expand the Port of Gulfport. Port officials laid out a $1 billion expansion that would give it capacity for about 2 million to 3 million TEUs. Plans to build an offshore island could perhaps allow Gulfport to handle as many a 17 million TEUs 50 years from now — more than the current combined ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.