Philadelphia: First-Quarter Gains for All Major Cargo Categories
First quarter data reported by the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PRPA) point to across-the-board gains by every major cargo category. That includes containers, steel, forest products, cocoa beans, project cargo, ro/ro, and liquid bulk. These increases follow the port’s record performance in 2014 (Advisory, February 4, 2015), suggesting that another record year may be in the offing.
The port’s container trade posted increases from first quarter 2014 of 2.3 percent in box movements (to 100,203 TEUs) and 5.8 percent in cargo (to 684,360 metric tons).
Among break bulk cargoes, steel accounted for 105,398 tons ( 1.2 percent), fruit for 66,390 tons ( 16.7 percent), forest products for 162,879 tons ( 35.0 percent), cocoa beans for 45,859 tons ( 19 percent), and project cargo for 11,380 tons ( 21.7 percent).
Positive growth also occurred in the port’s ro/ro trade, which consists primarily of Hyundai and Kia automobiles imported via South Philadelphia for distribution to dealerships throughout the United States. The port moved 36,683 autos during the first quarter, an increase from last year of 2.3 percent. Liquid bulks increased by 1.5 percent to 337,748 tons.
"Our latest cargo figures are gratifying to see," said PRPA Chairman Jerry Sweeney. "Not only do they once again show healthy gains when comparing the same periods of this year and last year, but they also show, for the first time in a long while, that all cargo sectors showed growth, not just some or even most. This is truly a testament to our terminal operators, the logistics industry that surrounds them, our dedicated labor force, and our staff at PRPA, all of whom work together to make this port as efficient and successful as it can be."