Harbor Police Department (HPD) Chief Melanie Montroll completed her first 100 days at the helm of the specialized law enforcement agency, delivering on her top priorities to attract and retain the best recruits, with a focus on diversity, community, training and homeland security.

Montroll’s early accomplishments are headlined by the introduction of body-worn cameras (BWC) for all HPD officers. In effect as of today, July 18, Harbor Police officers are now trained and equipped with BWC recording devices, which will support HPD’s continued commitment to transparency, while strengthening performance and accountability.

The recent 2022 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature committed $96.595 million to aid expansion projects at the Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal and Jourdan Road Cold Storage Terminal, along with new transportation projects in Orleans and St. Bernard parishes, all with the goal of driving international trade, while preparing for future growth.

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) is hosting a Small Business Certification Event on May 26 at 9 a.m. at the Louisiana International Terminal Community Connection Office, located at 6201A E. St. Bernard Hwy., Violet, LA 70092.

Today, Sharonda Williams was sworn in as a member of the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) at the May 19, 2022, board meeting. Appointed by Governor John Bel Edwards, Williams succeeds Darryl D. Berger as one of four Orleans Parish representatives on the seven-member regional board and will serve a five-year term.

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) recognizes its sixth annual Maritime Month May 1-31 and National Maritime Day on May 22 to pay tribute to the region’s rich maritime history and to honor the hardworking men and women of the local maritime workforce.

Today, the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) swore in Captain Melanie Montroll as the new Chief of its Harbor Police Department (HPD), becoming the department’s first woman and first African American woman Chief of Police. Montroll succeeds Chief Robert Hecker, who retires after having led HPD for more than 26 years.

Montroll was sworn in today by Brandy D. Christian, President and CEO of the Port of New Orleans and CEO of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad. Congressman Troy A. Carter Sr. was present to provide congratulatory remarks and a Congressional proclamation.

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) has named Assistant Chief Melanie Montroll as Chief of its Harbor Police Department (HPD), following a rigorous national search that included a number of highly qualified candidates. She is a 21-year veteran of the force and will serve as the department’s first woman Chief of Police. Montroll succeeds Chief Robert Hecker, who will retire after having led HPD for more than 26 years.

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) is hosting a series of open houses in St. Bernard Parish to share information and invite community input about the Louisiana International Terminal (LIT) project. The proposed $1.5 billion container terminal in Violet will meet changing industry needs, serve as a major economic catalyst in St. Bernard Parish, and keep Louisiana competitive with other U.S. ports.

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) has been awarded a fifth round of grant funding to continue its award-winning air quality initiative, the Clean Truck Replacement Incentive Program (Clean TRIP). With this latest round, the Clean TRIP funding is able to expand eligibility to include drayage trucks serving port terminals within the entirety of its three-parish jurisdiction (Jefferson, St. Bernard, and Orleans).

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) ended the year in 2021 strengthening its economic benefit to the region and state with wins across all four of its lines of business: cargo, rail, industrial real estate and cruise. The calendar year closed with breakbulk and bulk volumes up 46% from calendar year 2020. Port NOLA moved 2.4 million short tons last year in comparison to 1.7 million short tons in 2020.

The Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans selected new officers with the election of Charles H. Ponstein as Chairman, Jack C. Jensen, Jr. as Vice Chairman and Joseph F. Toomy as Secretary-Treasurer during the monthly Board meeting Dec. 16.

Today, Governor John Bel Edwards welcomed four new 100-foot-gauge container gantry cranes to the Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal at the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA), the culmination of a more than 15,643-nautical mile journey from Shanghai, China. The $112 million investment, which included $49 million for the construction and delivery of the cranes, and $63 million to modernize the wharf and extend the crane rail infrastructure, began in 2019 when Port NOLA’s Board of Commissioners approved the project. The four new gantry cranes are essential to Port NOLA’s overall plan for the gateway, which includes optimizing facilities in New Orleans and building the Louisiana International Terminal, a new container terminal, in St. Bernard Parish.