Port Traffic Metrics: Port Manatee, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia

Port Manatee Container Traffic Up 36 Percent, Cargo Tonnage Also Higher

Port Manatee’s container trade surged during the first half of the fiscal year that began October 1, 2015, jumping 36 percent from a year ago to 12,653 TEUs.  Imports alone skyrocketed 40 percent, to 7,398 from 5,291 TEUs. This follows the port’s record-setting FY 2014-15 when container throughput soared 83 percent.

"With World Direct Shipping increasing imports of refrigerated produce in its weekly service from Mexico, as well as consistent inbound shipments by longtime tenant Fresh Del Monte Produce, Port Manatee is extending a positive trend in the container sector," said Port Manatee Executive Director Carlos Buqueras. "Furthermore, as we successfully advance our economy-energizing diversification strategy, we are seeing meaningful gains in overall tonnage moving through the port."

During first half FY 2015-16, Port Manatee handled 3,310,873 tons of cargo, up 5.7 percent from the year-earlier total, thanks to the soaring container trade, additional project lifts and substantial gains in liquid bulks such as diesel, gasoline, ethanol and asphalt. The uptick in petroleum products was in large part due to a fuel supply agreement the port signed in late 2015 with RaceTrac Petroleum Inc.

Located "where Tampa Bay Meets the Gulf of Mexico," Port Manatee is equipped with ten 40-foot-draft berths serving container, bulk, breakbulk, heavylift, project and general cargo customers. The port generates more than $2.3 billion in annual economic impact for the local community, while supporting more than 24,000 jobs, without levying ad-valorem taxes.

 
Port Manatee’s mobile harbor cranes lift refrigerated containers from a Fresh Del Monte Produce ship.
Photo/Port Manatee

New York/New Jersey Port Posts February Container, Rail, and Auto Gains

The port authority reports container lifts at the Port of New York & New Jersey set a monthly record in February of 287,197, an increase from February 2015 of 12.4 percent.

Loaded import container alone accounted for 148,048 units (+7.4 percent), loaded export containers for 61,278 units (+6.6 percent), and outbound empties for 76,037 units (+27.8 percent).

Intermodal rail volume set a February record of 41,837 lifts. Rail volumes finished ahead of February 2015 by 16.8 percent. Year-to-date volumes topped 2015 by 11.3 percent.

This February as well, auto volumes totaled 43,028 units for an increase of 32.5 percent over February 2015. For the year, auto volumes are up 15.4 percent.

February TEUs (500,659) were 12.4 percent higher than last February, and year-to-date volumes exceed last year’s totals (978,564) by 7.7 percent.

View the Port of New York and New Jersey’s Loaded Containers in TEUs and Total ExpressRail Lifts by Month.

Philadelphia: Record Cargo in 2015 for Sixth Consecutive Year; Tops 6-Million Tons for the First Time

The Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PRPA) reports cargo throughput in 2015 exceeded 6.0 million metric tons for the first time ever, giving the port its sixth consecutive record year. The year-end total of 6,092,787 tons was up 2.4 percent from 2014. During the past six years, Philadelphia has experienced a 68 percent increase in cargo tonnage.

Breakbulk cargo was the standout performer, with a year-on-year increase of 15.6 percent. That included: steel – 423,321 tons (+7.1 percent): fruit – 268,319 tons (+19.1 percent); cocoa beans – 103,121 tons (+5.6 percent); forest products – 778,271 tons (+26.6 percent).

Dependable Distribution Services (DDS) is consolidating regional cocoa cargoes at the Pier 84 facility it leases from the port authority. According to PRPA, Philadelphia ranks first among U.S. ports in cocoa beans and second as a handler of all cocoa products.

Forest products shipped through PRPA facilities include high-quality coated paper from Scandinavia used to print magazines and catalogs and wood pulp from South America used in the manufacture of household items like facial tissues and paper towels.

Ro/ro cargo, primarily new Hyundai and Kia automobiles imported from South Korea via PRPA’s Packer Avenue Marine Terminal, totaled 155,745 units (+3.4 percent), or 231,016 tons (+8.2 percent).

Philadelphia’s container trade remained at roughly 2014 levels - 427,630 TEUs (-4.8 percent) and 2,930,050 tons (+0.5 percent). Liquid bulks were essentially unchanged at 1,331,772 tons.

Still brighter prospects lie ahead for Philadelphia, with the Delaware River 45-foot Channel-Deepening project nearing completion and the Southport Marine Terminal Project now in its RFP phase, which could ultimately result as many as three new business operations at the port by 2017.