California executive taking over as head of Alabama port in Mobile

April 6, 2020 at 9:00 p.m. | Updated April 6, 2020 at 8:25 p.m.

by Associated Press

In this Tuesday, July 23, 2019 photo, crew members aboard the Mobile, Ala.-based tugboat Joe Cain prepare to depart the Yellow Creek State Inland Port on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway at Iuka, Miss. The waterway hasn't lived up to expectations in terms of barge traffic or economic development in parts of Alabama and Mississippi, but the port provides jobs and helps the economy in Iuka, located near the Tennessee line. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
In this Tuesday, July 23, 2019 photo, crew members aboard the Mobile, Ala.-based tugboat Joe Cain prepare to depart the Yellow Creek State Inland Port on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway at Iuka, Miss. The waterway hasn't lived up to expectations in terms of barge traffic or economic development in parts of Alabama and Mississippi, but the port provides jobs and helps the economy in Iuka, located near the Tennessee line. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) -- A California port executive will take over as head of the Alabama State Port Authority in Mobile, the agency announced Monday.

John C. Driscoll will replace longtime Alabama state docks director Jimmy Lyons on June 1. Driscoll most recently worked as maritime director the port in Oakland, California, and he worked for a shipping company before that.

Lyons, who has worked as chief executive at the state port in Mobile for more than two decades, will officially retire at the end of the year.

The port of Mobile ranks No. 11 among U.S. seaports by total trade. Alabama State Port Authority facilities handled more than 26 million tons of cargo last year.

Upcoming Events