By Nolan Mckendry | The Center Square
(The Center Square) − SpaceX is planning to build a massive maritime shipping complex on Louisiana’s Gulf Coast, complete with docking facilities, access roads and extensive cargo-handling areas, according to state records detailing the company’s expanding plans in Vermilion Parish.
The project would establish a major new industrial shipping hub along Freshwater Bayou, connecting facilities on the Gulf of Mexico to inland waterways through a network of roads and shipping channels.
According to a state project database, the development would be privately financed and would accommodate vessels beyond those operated by SpaceX, suggesting the infrastructure could serve commercial maritime operations outside the aerospace company’s own activities.
Spokespersons for Louisiana Economic Development, the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers all declined requests for more information.
Preliminary engineering plans show a sprawling construction project involving thousands of feet of waterfront docking space, hundreds of acres of industrial staging areas and extensive dredging to accommodate large vessels.
The proposed infrastructure includes approximately 3,500 feet of space where ships could dock to load and unload large cargo. The plans also call for inland docking facilities connected to existing navigation channels, along with approximately 15.5 miles of heavy-haul roads and more than a mile of elevated roadway.