The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) and the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB) are partnering with newly launched logistics company UTC Transoceanic to bring advanced artificial intelligence and digital rail technology to one of the country’s most important gateways for oversized cargo.
The partnership is designed to solve one of the biggest challenges in global logistics: moving extremely large and heavy industrial equipment safely and efficiently through America’s rail network.
For the maritime and logistics industries, the timing matters.
As demand surges for power infrastructure, data centers, energy projects and industrial manufacturing across the United States, the movement of oversized cargo including massive power transformers, wind turbine components, turbines, refinery vessels, and industrial generators is becoming more critical than ever. Much of that equipment arrives by ship from overseas manufacturers and must then move inland by rail because highways often cannot handle the size and weight of the cargo.
How New Orleans fits in
Port NOLA already serves as a major gateway for heavy-lift and project cargo, with direct access to all six Class I railroads through the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad. But planning these oversized rail moves can take weeks or even months because every shipment must be carefully reviewed for bridge clearances, tunnel restrictions, track geometry and routing limitations across multiple railroad systems.
The new partnership with UTC Transoceanic aims to dramatically simplify that process.
UTC Transoceanic is a newly formed joint venture between New Orleans-based Transoceanic, led by maritime executive Greg Rusovich, and Houston-based global logistics company UTC Overseas. Together, the companies are deploying patented AI-powered rail clearance technology and a real-time digital model of the NOPB rail network using the Palantir Foundry platform.
“This technology changes the conversation for customers moving oversized cargo,” said Beth Branch, President and CEO of Port NOLA and CEO of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad. “Today, planning a large industrial shipment can involve weeks of engineering studies and coordination between multiple railroads before a customer even knows whether a route is possible. What UTC Transoceanic is bringing to New Orleans helps provide answers almost immediately. That’s a major advantage for shippers, manufacturers and project developers who are making multimillion-dollar logistics decisions.”
At the center of the partnership is a new customer-facing application called TEID-RDC, which allows shippers to enter cargo dimensions, weight and railcar specifications into a digital platform that can quickly determine whether the cargo can move through the rail network and recommend the best routing options.
Underneath that system is a “digital twin” of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad — essentially a live digital replica of the railroad network that continuously tracks clearance information, bridge ratings, crossing geometry and infrastructure conditions in real time.
For the maritime community, the impact could be significant
The technology positions New Orleans as a smarter, more predictable gateway for project cargo at a time when global supply chains are increasingly driven by speed, visibility and data. Shippers moving oversized cargo often select ports based not only on waterfront capabilities, but on how efficiently cargo can move inland once it leaves the dock.
“This is about New Orleans delivering cutting-edge logistics solutions to the global energy sector,” said Gregory Rusovich, maritime executive and founder of Transoceanic. “Cargo owners want certainty. They want to know early in the process whether a shipment can move, how it can move and how quickly decisions can be made. By combining UTC Overseas’ logistics expertise with New Orleans’ unmatched rail connectivity, UTC Transoceanic helps deliver that certainty.”
The technology is especially relevant as the United States experiences rapid growth in data center development and energy infrastructure construction. Large power transformers and electrical equipment weighing hundreds of tons are increasingly moving through U.S. ports on their way to inland destinations that rely heavily on rail transportation.
“Project cargo logistics are becoming more complex every year,” said Marco Poisler, UTC Overseas Chief Operating Officer, Global Energy & Capital Projects. “Customers need better information earlier in the process, and they need logistics partners who can help solve infrastructure challenges before cargo even arrives at the port. That’s exactly what this partnership is designed to do.”
Port NOLA officials say the partnership also supports the long-term growth of Louisiana as a global logistics and industrial hub.
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“The Port of New Orleans and the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad have always played a major role in connecting global cargo to the American interior,” said Tomeka Bryant, Chief Strategy Officer & General Manager of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad. “This partnership builds on that legacy by bringing advanced technology and real-time infrastructure intelligence into the process. It helps customers move cargo more efficiently while strengthening New Orleans’ position in the global supply chain.”
UTC Transoceanic is headquartered in New Orleans.
