Splash247: Copper rush clogs New Orleans

Published by Splash247

America’s tariff-driven copper rush is beginning to overwhelm logistics infrastructure around New Orleans, with warehouses filling up and marine terminals struggling to handle a sudden surge in metal imports.

The congestion marks the latest physical consequence of rapidly distorted US commodity flows, as traders race to position copper inside the country ahead of potential tariffs.

The Liberian-flagged bulker Nord Norfolk is currently crossing the Atlantic carrying around $500m worth of African copper, which Kpler says is the highest-value single commodity cargo it has recorded.

Its destination is an increasingly crowded US Gulf metals gateway. Warehousing capacity around New Orleans is already largely full, while another 100,000 tonnes of copper from Africa and South America is expected to arrive during September and October.

The scramble for capacity is also showing up in exchange-approved warehousing.

Splash reported last week that US refined copper imports hit a record 225,094 tonnes in July as traders rushed cargo into the country ahead of possible tariffs.

The resulting arbitrage has generated additional seaborne demand and redirected large volumes of copper towards the US.

New Orleans, with its combination of deepwater terminals, warehousing, rail connections and access to the Mississippi barge network, is one of the natural beneficiaries of that shift. It is also becoming one of its first bottlenecks.