50-Foot Depth Reached On Mobile Harbor

The Alabama Port Authority on October 3 announced that the Mobile Ship Channel has officially reached its authorized depth of 50 feet, marking a major milestone for the Port of Mobile and Alabama’s economy.

The port, the Mobile Engineer District and the Mobile Bar Pilots, meeting the day before, reviewed the latest soundings for the Mobile Ship Channel, and all parties agreed the channel depth was adequate to accommodate vessels with a draft up to 50 feet. 

Within hours, the Panamanian-flagged bulk cargo vessel Sakizawa Power, already docked at the port’s McDuffie Coal Terminal, became the first vessel to utilize the deeper draft, loading additional tonnage and sailing with a 48.4-foot draft, the vessel’s maximum load. 

“This milestone shows the immediate value of the project,” said Alabama Port Authority Interim Director and CEO Doug Otto. “As soon as the Corps confirmed the channel was ready, our customers took advantage of the additional depth. This is exactly why this project matters—it means lower shipping costs, more efficient trade, and an even stronger economic engine for Alabama.”

The $366 million Mobile Harbor Modernization Project, cost-shared by the state of Alabama and the federal government, allows the Port of Mobile to handle super-post-Panamax vessels. APM Terminals Mobile, the port’s container terminal operator, expects ocean lines to begin upsizing ships in the near future, as the deeper channel will enhance efficiencies for customers.

“From the federal authorization process to passing the Rebuild Alabama Act, this would not have been possible without the leadership of former Sen. Richard Shelby and Gov. Kay Ivey,” said Zeke Smith, chairman of the Alabama Port Authority’s board. “Together, their actions forged the state-federal partnership that brought this transformative project to completion.”

Beginning in 2014, Shelby secured federal funding for the Corps of Engineers to launch a general reevaluation report for the project. That study led to the project’s congressional authorization in the 2018 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), also championed by Shelby. In 2019, Ivey led the effort to successfully pass the Rebuild Alabama Act, signing it into law and creating the funding mechanism for Alabama’s 25 percent cost-share. 

“From day one, I have said that the Port of Mobile is Alabama’s gateway to the world,” Ivey said. “By passing the Rebuild Alabama Act, we ensured that our state could provide the federal match and move this critical project forward. Today, we see the payoff of that vision. A 50-foot channel is not just a milestone for the port. It is a generational investment in Alabama jobs, growth and prosperity.”

“This is a proud day for Alabama and for me personally,” Shelby said. “Securing full federal funding for the deepening and widening of the Mobile Ship Channel was one of my top priorities in Congress, because I knew what it would mean for our state’s economy. Today’s achievement cements the Port of Mobile’s place as a premier gateway for global trade and ensures Alabama businesses have the tools they need to thrive in the decades to come.” 

While the channel is fully open to 50 feet, work continues to widen the turning basin near the port’s container terminal. That phase of the project is taking longer to complete because dredged material is being beneficially used for shoreline restoration on Dauphin Island, underscoring both the economic and environmental benefits of the project.

Featured image caption: A containership heads out to sea while another is docked along the Mobile Harbor with Mobile, Ala., in the background. (Photo courtesy of the Port of Mobile)