Port of Wilmington operator Enstructure and state lawmakers host a job fair while the new Edgemoor Port expansion project remains in limbo.
The job fair is in part one of Enstructure’s efforts to gear up for the new container terminal, which is expected to create nearly 6,000 new jobs, including more than 3,100 direct jobs.
Wednesday's career expo at DelTech’s Wilmington campus provided students and community members the opportunity to explore jobs within Delaware’s transportation, logistics and supply chain industry.
The event comes amid tension over plans for the new container terminal, after a federal judge in Pennsylvania revoked the necessary permits in October 2024.
The Edgemoor Port, combined with the existing port, is intended to be the new “Port Delaware” and generate an estimated total of around 11,480 jobs.
State Rep. Frank Cooke (D-New Castle) helped arrange the job fair, and while he has publicly criticized state leaders for how they are carrying out the expansion project, he feels hopeful it will still come to fruition.
“Myself and [State Sen. Darius Brown (D-New Castle)] put this together, also with Enstructure, to get ready for our new port. I still think we're gonna get a new port, and we need to have a job fair for everybody in the state of Delaware, even not in the state of Delaware, to come here to start looking at all the different venues and different applications to get this port up and going and built," Rep. Cooke said.
Secretary of State Charuni Patibanda-Sanchez hopes the necessary federal permits will be reissued by the end of the year, and project leaders plan to break ground in May 2026 if those permits come through.
"It’s 2025, we gotta move it into the future because [the Port of Wilmington] was built in the 20s. Containers are bigger. To move things logistically, you got to stay with the times, and we got to stay with other ports, with the competition," Rep. Cooke added.
If the Edgemoor Port receives the necessary permits, it’s poised to become one of Delaware's largest employment centers and generate a combined $76.2 million in tax revenue with the existing Port of Wilmington.
With over 25 employers in attendance, Enstructure’s Corporate Communications Specialist Laurie Stovall says the expo lets community members know there’s opportunity on and outside the port.
“A lot of the people here today are our partners. Either they work with us in port-related operations, or they work with us in some other capacity. So the supply chain, maritime logistics industry is thriving in Delaware, and we want people to know that there's opportunity here," Stovall said.
The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT), Amtrak and the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) were some of the other employers in attendance. A full list of employers and information about the event can be found here.
