MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — A new project at Alabama’s main seaport will open the facility to the shipment of finished automobiles.
The Alabama State Port Authority said Thursday it had signed a deal to build a $60 million automotive terminal in Mobile. It’s supposed to be ready early next year and will allow for vehicles to roll on and off of ships.
The 57-acre terminal will be able to handle 150,000 vehicles annually with connections to rail service and highways, officials said.
Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai and Honda currently make cars in the state, and Mazda-Toyota is building a factory in north Alabama. A docks official said the new terminal will open a new business stream for the docks.
The project is a joint venture between Terminal Zarate, S.A., a Grupo Murchison company based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Neltume Ports, based in Santiago, Chile.
Mobile is the nation’s 11th-largest deepwater seaport handling more than 58 million tons of cargo annually, the port authority said.