Port Metrics: Duluth/Superior, Houston, Los Angeles, Oakland, Seattle/Tacoma

Duluth/Superior: MERC’s 500 Millionth Ton of Coal

Midwest Energy Resources Company (MERC) transshipped its 500 millionth ton of coal on Monday, Dec. 14, 2015, with the loading at its Superior (WI) terminal of Interlake Steamship Company’s M/V Paul R. Tregurtha for the DTE Electric Company.

MERC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the DTE Electric Company, owns and operates the largest capacity coal transshipment facility on the Great Lakes and presently transships more coal than all the other Great Lakes coal dock facilities combined – some 14.2 million metric tons in 2013 alone.  

The low sulphur sub-bituminous coal originates at mines more than a thousand miles away in Montana and Wyoming and is shipped on unit trains to the port for transshipment mainly via Laker bulk carriers to power plants in Michigan and other destinations.

MERC, which began operations in the Port of Duluth/Superior in 1976, transshipped its 100 millionth ton of U.S. western low-sulfur coal in 1991, 200 millionth ton in 1998, 300 millionth ton in 2004 and 400 millionth ton in 2009.  

"The 500 millionth ton transshipped on December 14th represents another significant MERC milestone along with the loading and transshipment of our 10,000th vessel, American Steamship Company’s M/V American Century on Monday, November 9, 2015," said MERC President Fred Shusterich.

M/V Paul R. Tregurtha loading coal at Superior Midwest Energy Terminal on December 14, 2015.  The terminal is served by a 1,200-foot dock, a traveling shiploader with shuttle boom, and ground storage for 5 million tons. Throughput capacity is 25 million tons annually.  Union Pacific and Burlington Northern provide rail service.
Photo/Chris Mazzella

Milestone Achievements Continue for Port of Houston Authority

During the last regular monthly meeting of the port commission of the Port of Houston Authority for 2015, Chairman Janiece Longoria highlighted the port’s most recent achievements including the port authority reaching a historic high of handling more than 2 million container TEUs.

Noting the Port Authority’s new mission statement "to move the world and drive regional prosperity," Chairman Longoria reflected on the most recent economic impact study, which showed 1.175 million jobs in the state of Texas are due to port activity. The study indicated that the increased figure reflects an additional 148,000 jobs were created due to Port of Houston business.

Executive Director Roger Guenther continued the delivery of good news in his report to the port commission with the announcement that the port authority received its 41st consecutive Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association for the port authority’s 2014 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report.

Mr. Guenther also reported that port authority facilities handled more than 28 million tons of cargo, a 3 percent growth versus 2014.  He further added that in 2015, container facilities handled more than 1 million loaded containers, a 12 percent increase from January-November 2014.

Year-to-date operating revenue was $268 million, up by 12 percent compared to this time last year. For the first time in the port authority’s history, operating cash flow surpassed $120 million. Year-to-date net operating income grew 29 percent. "The intent is to reinvest these resources in port infrastructure to sustain and grow our contribution to the region’s economy," Mr. Guenther stated.

During that same meeting, the port commission approved the purchase of a mobile command center (MCC).  The new MCC will be equipped with technology designed to improve resilience and response to emergency situations. The port authority is responsible for 25 percent of the total cost as part of an award funded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s FY 2015 Port Security Grant Program.

Seattle/Tacoma: Strong Exports Drive Continued Growth in NWSA Container Volumes

Container volumes shipped through the Northwest Seaport Alliance’s terminals in Seattle and Tacoma improved 6 percent year to date in November—the ninth consecutive month of growth.

Export loads alone jumped 11 percent year to date to 1,209,562 TEUs, thanks in great part  to overseas demand for Washington state agricultural products such as apples and pears.

Import loads also grew by 5 percent year to date to 1,322,486 TEUs, while domestic volumes remained flat at 807,009 TEUs. Throughput for the first 11 months totaled 3,339,057 TEUs.

The Alliance also reports auto imports remained strong in November, up 7 percent year to date to 168,893 units. Breakbulk volumes and grain, log, petroleum and molasses exports continue to be adversely impacted by a weaker overseas demand and the strong U.S. dollar.

The Northwest Seaport Alliance is a marine cargo operating partnership of the ports of Seattle and Tacoma.
For detailed port traffic data, click on Container volumes - November 2015 and Cargo statistics - November 2015.

Port of Los Angeles Container Traffic up 7% in November

Container throughput at the Port of Los Angeles totaled 709,968 TEUs in November, a 7 percent increase from November 2014.  In detail, the November data show year-on-year increases of 7.6 percent from 16.5 percent, respectively, for inbound loads and empty containers and a 5.7 percent drop in outbound loads.

The year-to-date total of 7,534,181 TEUs was down 1.9 percent from January-November 2014. Click here for current and past data container counts.

"We’ve seen container volumes at and above 700,000 TEUs for the past six months, which demonstrates consistency and the strength of our supply chain partners," said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka. "With larger vessels coming into the transpacific trade this month, including the CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin, we can further show the gains we have made this year in terms of effectively moving greater volumes through our port."

Oakland: Import Box Traffic up 8.7 Percent in November

The Port of Oakland reports November containerized import volume jumped 8.7 percent, giving the port its eighth year-on-year increase in nine months. Year-to-date volume rose 0.4 percent compared to January-November 2014, a significant improvement from the 30 percent drop last winter. The port said strong consumer demand was the driving force behind the strong November performance.

"We're finishing the year much stronger than we started," said Maritime Director John Driscoll. "Our goal now is to keep the momentum up heading into 2016."

The November data show a 1.5 percent drop in export containers, due in part to weaker Chinese demand for U.S. products. Total container volume, including empties as well as loads, fell 0.3 percent, to 192,584 TEUs from 193,115 in November 2014. Click here for container traffic statistics.