Purchase of old ship yard from port operator put on hold amid questions from state financing panel

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Plans by the Port of South Louisiana to purchase what was once a major shipyard for construction of military vessels have been delayed. The port in January had announced plans to purchase the old Avondale Shipyard site from the current owner, port terminal operator T. Parker Host. However, The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate reported Wednesday that the purchase has been put off after port officials faced questions last month from the state Bond Commission. Members of the commission, which must approve government debt, had noted that the port had not provided detailed accounts of Host’s revenue at Avondale for previous years. Host bought the site in 2018.