Local authorities in New Orleans in the United States have filed a lawsuit seeking to block a proposed USD1.8 billion international container terminal.

The Saint Bernard Parish District Attorney’s office filed the lawsuit in 34th Judicial District Court in a bid to stop development of the Louisiana International Terminal, Associated Press reports.

The Port of New Orleans, known as Port Nola, has already purchased more than 1,200 acres (486 ha) of land in the New Orleans suburb of Violet and has applied for federal permits for the proposed container terminal.

Phase one of the terminal is projected to open in 2028, with the completed facility capable of handling 2 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) annually.

The proposed new facility will take advantage of the deeper 50 ft. (15 m) Lower Mississippi River Ship Channel for larger ships that are currently blocked by bridges further up the river.

An economic study conducted by Baton Rouge-based economist Dr Dek Terrell found that if the proposed port was not constructed the current customers of Port Nola would switch to other ports. 

“The industry trend is that many shipping routes are rapidly moving to vessels over 10,000 TEU that cannot reach the uptown terminal during the difficult portion of the year,” Dr Terrell’s report says.

“For this reason, most Asian customers and many from Europe will move quickly to ship their cargo through other ports if it becomes apparent that the Port of New Orleans will not soon have a facility to service their larger vessels year-round.”

In his lawsuit, District Attorney Perry Nicosia says Port Nola does not have the authority to operate a shipping facility within the borders of Saint Bernard Parish.

Port Nola chief executive Brandy Christian called the lawsuit “preposterous” and “election-year theatrics.”

Nola.com reports the lawsuit is the latest volley in a long-running battle between Port Nola and locals who say the container port would disrupt life in the parish and cause environmental damage.

Construction of the container terminal, which has the support of Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards as well as regional and parish economic development agencies, would involve relocating a school and a park.

The Louisiana International Terminal will be a public-private partnership between the state of Louisiana, the Port of New Orleans, New Jersey-based Ports America Switzerland’s Mediterranean Shipping Company.