Port Everglades reports strong growth

Port Everglades reports strong growth

Port Everglades reported Friday that it experienced an 8.4 percent increase in container volumes during fiscal year 2006, with a 12 percent increase in container tonnage.

   'This is the third year in a row that Port Everglades has experienced double digit increases and second year of record growth in containerized cargo,' says Port Director Phillip C. Allen.    'In the past four years, the Port has added several new services and increased containerized cargo tonnage by more than 2.2 million tons annually.

   The port handled 797,238 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containerized cargo, which translated to 5,688,442 tons in the fiscal year ended September 30.

   Allen attributed the gains to the traditionally strong Central America and Caribbean trades, but noted growth in other markets, most notably the Mediterranean, contributed to the gains.

   The fiscal year volumes were boosted by three new services to Central America and the Caribbean that had been started in FY 2005. But the full impact of the new services was seen for the firs time in the FY 2006 numbers. Port Everglades also had a full year of a new service to the Mediterranean offered by Mediterranean Shipping Co., which has become a major tenant and terminal operator at the port.