New Orleans container volumes up 31%

New Orleans container volumes up 31%    The Port of New Orleans said it handled 426,091 TEUs in 2010, 31 percent more than in 2009.
LaGrange
   'These gains are attributed to a strong export market and the
result of non-traditional cargoes, such as steel products and grain, now moving by container,' said Gary LaGrange, president and chief executive of the port.
   The Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal is served by Mediterranean Shipping Co., Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk, Seaboard Marine and CSAV.
   LaGrange made the announcement at a meeting where the port’s board also approved two major contracts related to the renovation of the Julia Street Cruise Terminal. The estimated $13.7 million project, scheduled for completion in October, will combine two smaller terminals at Julia Street into one large modern terminal that will be home port to Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas, beginning this fall. The 1,020-foot cruise ship carries 3,838 passengers and will be the largest cruise ship ever to call on the Port of New Orleans.