New Orleans container volumes climb

New Orleans container volumes climb    The Port of New Orleans is seeing higher container volumes, said Gary LaGrange, port president and chief executive officer.
   The Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal handled 81,987 TEUs in the first two months of the year, up 22.8 percent compared to the same 2010 period.
   March TEU figures were not available, but the port said the terminal’s four container cranes logged a record 927.2 hours in March, up 25 percent compared to one year ago. The port said crane usage is a strong calculator of total volume and a source of revenue for the port.
   The port said work is continuing on a $29.5 million effort to expand the terminal's 594,000-TEU capacity.
   Two new container gantry cranes are scheduled for delivery by mid-May and installation is to be complete by September.