T. Parker Host Invests $50 Million to Expand Former Avondale Shipyard

T. Parker Host (HOST) is investing $50 million to expand rail, warehouse and dock capacity at Avondale Global Gateway, the former Avondale Shipyard site on the Mississippi River near New Orleans, as demand grows for industrial cargo handling and logistics infrastructure.

The investment, announced Wednesday, will include a new 200,000-square-foot warehouse, expanded rail infrastructure and improvements to the facility’s deepwater docks. The project is expected to be completed by December 2027.

The new warehouse will bring Avondale’s total indoor storage capacity to approximately 2 million square feet and will be the first new building constructed at the site since the 1970s.

HOST also plans to activate Avondale’s fifth deepwater dock, increasing the facility’s capacity to handle up to six vessels simultaneously.

The $50 million capital program includes $15 million for rail improvements, $15 million for the warehouse, $5 million for dock upgrades, $5 million for roads, $5 million for expanded site and laydown capacity, and another $5 million for equipment.

“We’re building Avondale for what comes next,” said Adam Anderson, chairman and CEO of T. Parker Host. “When a company looks at Louisiana for its next major investment, we want the infrastructure to already be here. This $50 million investment gives our customers the ability to move faster and grow here for the long term.”

The expansion is expected to create approximately 100 additional HOST jobs, bringing the company’s workforce at Avondale to more than 400 employees. With additional tenant developments anticipated, HOST expects approximately 1,000 people to be working across the industrial campus each day by 2028.

The investment marks another step in the transformation of the former shipbuilding facility into a major multimodal logistics and industrial hub.

Avondale has emerged as North America’s leading copper import terminal and recently secured a long-term agreement with a major energy equipment manufacturer. The facility also recently handled what HOST described as the first significant shipment of Venezuelan primary aluminum to the United States in more than eight years.

HOST said growing demand for copper, power generation equipment and other industrial materials, including those used in data center construction and artificial intelligence infrastructure, is helping drive the need for additional capacity.

The company expects the improvements to help attract hundreds of millions of dollars in additional private investment from industrial tenants.

The expansion also includes $6.95 million in state and local support directed toward rail infrastructure. Louisiana Economic Development is providing a $2.6 million interest-free loan through its FastSites Program, while the Louisiana Legislature has approved $3.1 million in capital funding. Jefferson Parish has committed another $1.25 million.

Work on the infrastructure improvements is already underway.

Located in Jefferson Parish along the Mississippi River, Avondale Global Gateway handles more than 75 commodities and offers deepwater access, Class I rail connections, warehouse space and land for industrial development.

HOST, which acquired the former shipyard property in 2018, has been redeveloping the site as a logistics and manufacturing center, shifting its focus from ship construction to cargo handling, storage and industrial operations.

The latest investment is intended to give customers additional capacity to establish long-term operations at the site, including processing and manufacturing activities, while strengthening Avondale’s role as an industrial gateway for the Gulf Coast.