U.S. military picks Gulfport as ‘strategic seaport’

The U.S. Maritime Administration notified the Mississippi State Port Authority that the Port of Gulfport has been designated as a “strategic seaport” by the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command.    The U.S. Maritime Administration has notified the Mississippi State Port Authority that Port of Gulfport has been designated a “strategic seaport” by the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC).
   This designation allows the military to use the Port of Gulfport for cargo and equipment shipments. 
   The port authority called it “an important step in the Port of Gulfport’s long-range strategy to become one of the country’s top-tier diversified ports.”
   The Mississippi State Port Authority said Gulfport’s revitalization includes the $570 million restoration and expansion project, and has led to new tenants in the offshore energy sector, long-term lease agreements with existing tenants, and the acquisition of inland port capabilities. “The construction of the new facilities was seen as a significant factor in landing the strategic port designation,” the authority said.
   The Port of Gulfport is centrally located in the southeastern “defense corridor” and will be able to provide nearby military installations with direct on-dock rail service and fast access to the major East/West Corridor of Interstate 10.
   For more than two years, the port authority worked with federal, state and military officials to receive the strategic port designation. Port of Gulfport is the seventeenth U.S. port to receive this designation.
   “During the coming months, port staff will work with MarAd to implement the various actions required by this strategic seaport designation to ensure support for all military requirements while also minimizing disruption to commerce,” the port authority said.