Trade Development: Georgia, Miami, New Orleans, Tacoma

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The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) reports container throughput exceeded 2.0 million TEUs during the first eight months of FY 2013-2014. PortMiami took delivery of its first direct shipment of Peruvian blueberries on March 16. The Port of New Orleans has contracted with an agency headquartered in Mumbai to spearhead its pursuit of trade opportunities in India. Breakbulk cargo and auto import volumes posted gains through February at the Port of Tacoma, but container volumes continued to lag.

Georgia Achieves 6% Container Growth 

The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) reports container throughput at its Garden City Terminal in the Port of Savannah exceeded 2.0 million TEUs through February of the fiscal year that began July 1, 2013. That equates to an increase of 6.2 percent or 119,318 TEUs from the comparable period of FY 2012-2013.

In total, the GPA moved 19.2 million tons of cargo in the fiscal year to date, an increase of 7.6 percent, or 1.3 million tons. Growth across major cargo sectors contributed to the improvement. Ro/ro movements were up 6.6 percent for a total of 438,990 automobile and machinery units, or 23,322 more than a year ago. Also trending higher were bulks (such as wheat and corn), up 6.6 percent to 1.86 million tons.

During February alone, GPA’s terminals recorded increases of 5.4 percent in total cargo (to 2.4 million tons), 33 percent in bulk (to 280,477 tons), and 8.8 percent in breakbulk (to 192,204 tons). Container traffic increased 2.6 percent to 248,746 TEUs, a record for February.

"The strong growth experienced throughout our business sectors this fiscal year demonstrates the resilience and strength of the Southeast market, and a positive return on the continued investments in Georgia’s ports, rail, roads and logistical supply chain," said GPA Executive Director Curtis Foltz. He expects growth to continue through the final quarter of the fiscal year.

PortMiami Receives First Peruvian Blueberries

PortMiami took delivery of its first direct shipment of Peruvian blueberries on March 16. They arrived from Callao aboard the container ship APL Indonesia ready for immediate distribution as part of the port’s cold treatment pilot program.

"PortMiami is very pleased at the arrival of this inaugural shipment from Peru," said Port Director Bill Johnson. "This is great news for shippers and consumers alike, as using PortMiami extends shelf life and gets fruit rapidly to consumers."

Begun last October, the pilot program has opened the door to new trade opportunities in Uruguay and Peru, allowing the direct import via PortMiami of grapes and blueberries. PortMiami can fumigate up to 6,000 pallets of fruit per day. This capacity, in conjunction with the port’s protocols that expedite the processing of perishables, enables PortMiami to distribute goods to market more quickly and efficiently than was previously possible. As a result, Peruvian fruits have been shipped via the Miami seaport to markets such as Atlanta, Maryland and Chicago.

Pat Compres of Advance Customs Brokers & Consulting sees it as "a great opportunity for the produce industry in general" that brings "other avenues for shipping and the opening of possible new markets."

New Orleans Retains Trade Representative in India

The Port of New Orleans has retained Samsara Shipping Pvt Ltd. to spearhead its pursuit of trade opportunities in India. Headquartered in Mumbai, Samsara is a shipping agency with 54 offices nationwide.

"The Port of New Orleans is well positioned for growth in imported steel products, as it offers excellent connectivity via barge, rail and truck to major oil and gas projects in the United States and Canada," said Port President Gary LaGrange, PPM®. "With India’s fast-paced economic growth, we see opportunities to grow two-way trade between the port and India through a variety of commodities."

New Orleans is linked to India by an array of container and breakbulk services. The port’s current trade with India amounts to roughly 300,000 tons annually, most of it chemical exports and steel imports.

Mr. LaGrange said while the port’s marketing focus will be on steel for oil and gas projects, it will also target apparel, furniture, machinery and retail merchandise.

Tacoma: Breakbulk, Auto Trade Up, Containers Lag

Breakbulk cargo and auto import volumes posted gains through February at the Port of Tacoma, but container volumes continued to lag.

Strong machinery and construction equipment imports propelled breakbulk cargo volumes up 33 percent year-to-date to 32,304 short tons. Auto imports moderated in February but are still up nearly 15 percent on the year to 29,878 units, boosted by the year-end surge in January from Korean auto makers.

Meanwhile, container volumes fell 5 percent year to date, dragged down by a 28 percent drop in international empty containers. Through the first two months of the year, shipping lines relied primarily on repositioning empty equipment domestically by rail, particularly during the Lunar New Year holiday when many factories in China close for one to two weeks. The holiday fell on January 31 this year.

Full containerized imports improved 1 percent year-to-date to 115,283 TEUs; exports remained flat at 81,490 TEUs. Domestic volumes declined nearly 10 percent in February as regularly scheduled vessel maintenance resulted in fewer sailings to Alaska.

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