North Carolina ports cargo up 20%

North Carolina ports cargo up 20%

North Carolina ports Morehead City and Wilmington handled 5.4 million tons of general cargo at the end of its fiscal year ending June 30, representing a combined growth of 20 percent.

   The North Carolina State Ports Authority said the increased cargo was due to large growth in breakbulk and steel volumes at the two ports, with imported lumber up 49 percent at Wilmington as well as becoming a significant line of new business at Morehead City.

   In February, Gearbulk started serving Morehead City and has so far imported 45,000 tons of lumber, the port authority said.

   Steel cargo doubled at Wilmington and nearly doubled at Morehead City. Wilmington's steel business is all import but Morehead City saw increases in both import and export steel.

   Morehead City breakbulk tonnage jumped 47 percent to 315,400 tons in the 2005 fiscal year, from 215,000 tons in fiscal year 2004

   Container business at Wilmington is up 37 percent, while breakbulk tonnage increased 21 percent, setting a new record at 1.6 million tons, after the previous record of 1.05 million tons last year.

   The authority covers the ports of Wilmington and Morehead City, plus inland terminals in Charlotte and the Piedmont Triad in Greensboro.