NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Officials say facility upgrades at The Port of New Orleans have positioned the port to capture its share of the expected swell in container cargo after the 2015 opening of an expanded Panama Canal.

But port officials tell The Advocate (http://bit.ly/UCISAw) there is still more that can be done to help it take a bigger bite of the 5 million additional containers expected to come into the Gulf of Mexico by 2025.

Gary LaGrange, the port's president and chief executive officer, says the port recently spent $36 million on two new gantry cranes and 4.5-acres of land to expand its container-handling area to 115 acres.

LaGrange says the port will soon hire a firm to determine the current and potential value of the container terminal to attract outside investment.

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