Thread by @jallen1985

THREAD: Why didn't Mississippi get a contract with Sea-Land Shipping? The Port of Gulfport supports 16% of Mississippi's GSP—sounds like something we should invest in!

But losing shipping contracts like this is a policy decision that we made on our own here in Mississippi. 1/

https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1499777168754167808

Until 2016, ships crossing the Panama Canal had to meet Panamax specs, and the maximum draft was ~39 feet. (The draft is the depth below waterline of the ship's hull.)

But now, the canal can service "post-Panamax" ships with drafts up to ~50 feet. 2/

That's why the Port of Gulfport wanted to deepen the port from 36 feet to 45 feet as of 2015.

However, we voluntarily abandoned plans to obtain federal assistance to deepen Gulfport's harbor. 2/
wlox.com/story/30562511…

In contrast, Florida moved forward with the Army Corps of Engineers to deepen Jacksonville's harbor from 40 feet to 47 feet.

Indeed, reporting last October said the project would be complete in June 2022—three years ahead of schedule. 3/
bizjournals.com/jacksonville/n…

As Governor DeSantis explained in his press release today:

"Since 2019, Florida has invested nearly $1 billion into its seaports to ensure that they have the capacity to serve as much cargo as possible." flgov.com/2022/03/04/gov… 4/

To that end, the specific ship that Sea-Lead Shipping is sending to Jacksonville is named the Hakuna Matata, which today is traveling around Vietnam toward China at a draft of a~46 feet. 5/

To that end, Sea-Lead Shipping today said that Jacksonville's 47-foot depth will enable it to increasingly use fully-loaded post-Panamax cargo ships, which is why they picked Jacksonville. 6/
bizjournals.com/jacksonville/n…

All of that to say, I think Paul should have @bricewigginsMS on to explain that there is no income tax bill the #MSleg could possibly vote on that would convince Sea-Lead Shipping to send the Hakuna Matata (46-foot draft) to a port with a 36-foot harbor. 7/