Official approval has been granted to Alaska's port of Anchorage to proceed with current port expansion plans. The port had submitted an application for Phase II of its expansion plans to the US Army Corp of Engineers in January 2006, and according to news reports, permits have been issued allowing Phase II to go forward. The Phase II development will include the construction of new barge docks, the expansion of petroleum lines and the renovation and relocation of existing dock structures, it was reported. According to an initial master-plan, Phase II development had been scheduled to accommodate increased barge shipments, boost barge business growth and improve co-ordination between barge and container ship traffic.
The same master-plan had also scheduled for completion of Phase III to boost the port's ability to handle larger ships and ships requiring greater depth, and eventually improve and expand facilities for container, bulk material and petroleum products handling. The port of Anchorage is currently a five-berth terminal handling cargo such as containers, iron and steel products, bulk petroleum and cement. It had a cargo throughput of 5 million tonnes in 2005.