In a recent visit to the Port of Mobile, State Senate President Pro Tem Greg Reed celebrated the strategic importance of the port as a “gateway for products to come into Mobile from the Gulf of Mexico — to go all over the United States.”

“I’m excited to be at Alabama’s Port in Mobile,” Reed (R-Jasper) said after a tour of the port. 

“I learned today that containers, as you see behind me, which are products in these containers coming from all over the world to Mobile, has increased by 90% in the last five years – so we could not be any more excited about the growth of the port.”

In a recent report from Forbes, their research found that the Port of Mobile was the second fastest-growing port over the past 10 years.

“We’ve got a lot to be proud of with what’s going on at the port here in Mobile,” Reed said. 

RELATED: Forbes: Alabama’s Port of Mobile is second fastest-growing in U.S.

“You know, the idea of these containers coming in on huge ships, and then being loaded on trucks or rail to go up through Montgomery and on to Huntsville,” Reed said. 

“This is a gateway for products to come into mobile from the Gulf of Mexico to go all over the United States. So it’s a great opportunity for us, the state of Alabama has spent a lot of taxpayer resources in supporting the port because of all of the economic growth as a result of what we’ve seen.”

RELATED: Study: Port of Mobile holds $85B in statewide economic impact

The Port of Mobile, also recognized as the “Port of Alabama,” drives economic growth and job creation, handling over 55 million tons of cargo annually, contributing $85 billion in economic value and supporting nearly 313,000 jobs statewide.

Grayson Everett is the state and political editor for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @Grayson270