GULFPORT, Miss. – The Mississippi State Port Authority has approved a long-term lease with DuPont that provides for an expansion of the tenant’s port operations.
Under the agreement, DuPont will relocate its current ore receiving and storage operation to the southern end of the west pier, increasing capacity and operating flexibility. The lease is for a 30-year term with three, 10-year extensions.
“The contract also calls for a 29 percent increase in their annual guaranteed minimum tonnage throughput,” said Jonathan Daniels, port executive director. “This expansion will certainly support our restoration efforts and job growth at the Port of Gulfport and DuPont’s DeLisle facility.
“The DuPont DeLisle plant has been in operation for more than 33 years and remaining competitive in the global marketplace is critical to the sustainability of the company’s operation. This agreement provides facilities and lease terms that enables the most cost-effective way to import our critical raw material and deliver it to our DeLisle site,” said Gary Burge, DuPont DeLisle plant manager.
“The DuPont expansion and long term lease at the Port of Gulfport shows the company’s confidence in the long term potential of the port,” said Mississippi Development Authority Executive Director Brent Christensen. “As we continue to invest in the port, we expect to see more companies take DuPont’s lead and expand or locate their operations at the facility, creating more job opportunities for Mississippi workers.”
DuPont imports ilmenite ore through the Port of Gulfport. Ilmenite is a raw material used in the manufacture of titanium dioxide, an inert, non-toxic white pigment widely used in paints, inks, paper, textile fibers, and plastics to impart whiteness, brightness, and opacity. Once off-loaded at the Port, the ilmenite is railed 13 miles to DuPont’s DeLisle manufacturing facility.
In operation since 1979, the plant is located on the north shore of the Bay of St. Louis. Construction of the new, expanded facilities on the Port is expected to get underway in 2014.
For more information about DuPont, visit their website at www.dupont.com.