The Port of New Orleans reported a 4% year-over-year increase in breakbulk cargo volume in May, fueled by shipments of rubber, steel and heavy-lift/project cargo.
The port handled 147,921 tons of breakbulk cargo for the month, compared to 141,869 tons in May 2020.
New Orleans also handled 50,801 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in May, a 0.1% decrease compared to the same period last year.
The port handled 11,552 Class I railcar switches in May, a 21% increase year-over-year. The port handles switching operations for the six Class I railroads that operate in New Orleans: BNSF Railway, Canadian National Railway, CSX, Kansas City Southern, Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific.
Cargo volume is up 14% year-to-date at the Port of New Orleans for the fiscal year, which runs from July 1 to June 30.
The Port of New Orleans launched its third weekly trans-Pacific Asian service with the ONE Modern calling on the port June 21.
Launched by THE Alliance and Evergreen, the East Coast Loop 6, or EC6, transits the Panama Canal and calls on the ports of Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Hong Kong, Yantian, Ningbo and Shanghai, China; Pusan, Korea; Panama City, Panama; and Port Houston on a weekly basis before making stops in New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama, then returning to Kaohsiung.
“This new direct Asia service highlights the industry’s continued investment in the New Orleans market and the importance of the Louisiana gateway’s connectivity to Asia,” said Brandy D. Christian, president and CEO of the Port of New Orleans, in a statement.
The additional shipping capacity service supports the port’s growing export business for commodities such as resin, poultry, forestry and agricultural products.
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