PORTS AROUND THE COUNTRY REPORT INCREASED CARGO AND REVENUES

At the Port of Houston the port authority said through the first quarter of 2015 loaded container units increased by 24 percent over 2014. Import steel at the port continues to exceed projections up by more than 66 percent for the year. April was also a record month in revenues for the Houston Port Authority.

The South Carolina Ports Authority sustained double-digit container volume gains in March reporting 14.3 percent fiscal year to date growth of TEUs over the same period last year.

The Port of New Orleans reported a 28 percent increase for the port’s cargo in 2014 compared to the prior 12-month period. The 8.37 million tons is the largest cargo total since 2000. Total port-wide cargo which includes midstream operations export grain and private tonnage within the port’s three-parish (county) jurisdiction also rose 27.68 percent to 31.05 million tons.

PortMiami also experienced double-digit container volume growth in March and a 12 percent year to date increase for the first six month of FY2015. In March PortMiami recorded approximately 84000 TEUs compared to the 73000 TEUs moved during the same period last year and for the first six months 477400 TEUs compared to 426000 TEUs for the same period last year.

Nearly $1 billion in capital infrastructure projects has driven the growth at PortMiami. In addition to new super post-Panamax gantry cranes that can service cargo vessels up to 22 containers wide; new on-dock intermodal rail service link PortMiami to 70 percent of the U.S. population in four days or less; and a new tunnel link the port directly to the U.S. Interstate Highway System. The PortMiami deepening project will be completed this summer in July. The main harbor channel has been deepened from 42 to 50 feet.