The Lowndes County Port was approved by the county’s board of supervisors in 1985 and became operational in 1987. It has become one of the most active and important multimodal transportation hubs in northeast Mississippi. Its two barge terminals on the east and west banks of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway serve the shipping needs of industries and producers in the Golden Triangle area and those adjoining counties in Mississippi and west Alabama.
The availability of barge transportation offered by the port has been a crucial factor in attracting some of the largest investments in industrial development ever experienced in the state. The port authority leases the operations of its two barge terminals to two of the largest stevedoring firms in the nation, which enhances the port’s marketing efforts to attract new shippers and provide reliable and cost effective service due to these national firms’ resources and experience.
The port’s success in attracting tenants and shippers has necessitated the port authority to begin contemplating further expansion, including possible development of another port complex.
