29 April 2011
Fort Lauderdale’s seaport Port Everglades announced a 13 percent jump in containerized cargo for the six months ended March 31.
Container throughput in TEUs, or 20-foot-trailer equivalent units, grew to 448,520 TEUs for the period, up from 397,228 TEUs a year earlier. That’s still short of peak volumes posted three years ago before the world recession, the Broward County seaport said in a statement.
Port Everglades Director Phil Allen called the gain “another indication that international trade is rebounding.” He said cargo operations at Port Everglades provide more than 5,300 direct jobs and support nearly 132,000 jobs in Florida, “so we are pleased with the growth.”
Port Everglades is investing in several projects to encourage further gains in containerized freight. It is completing a 41-acre container cargo terminal to be used partly by SeaFreight Agencies (USA) Inc. It also bought a new mobile harbor crane that can load containers and handle lifts up to 100-tons.
In addition, the port plans to lengthen its turning notch by 1,500 feet to add four berths, and it is working on a feasibility study to deepen its channel to 50 feet to handle the mega-ships that will soon be able to cross an expanded Panama Canal.
Allen said Port Everglades' 20-Year Master/Vision Plan aligns with the findings of a recent study by the Florida Chamber Foundation. The Florida Trade and Logistics Study found that Florida ports stand to benefit from the Panama Canal expansion and from growth in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Port Everglades’ gains come as South Florida seaports and airports set new records for trade for the first two months this year, according to a WorldCity analysis of latest U.S. Census data. The value of goods traded with foreign ports rose nearly 18 percent to $16.1 billion through February compared to a year earlier, spurred in large part by business with fast-developing Brazil, the analysis shows.
For more information on Port Everglades, visit www.porteverglades.net.