Halifax cargo rebounds

Halifax cargo rebounds    Container volumes rebounded at the Port of Halifax last year, but bulk cargo volumes fell.
   The port handled 435,461 TEUs in 2010, 26 percent more than in 2009. That, however, remains below the levels reached in 2000-2006, when container volumes exceeded a half-million TEUs in each year.
   The port attributed the growth in container volumes to “new shipping lines, more frequent port calls and more cargo with existing lines, plus expanded trade routes.”
   Breakbulk cargo was up 23.7 percent, roll-on, roll-off volumes improved 15.9 percent, and cruise passenger count rose4 14.7 percent to a record 261,216 passengers.
   Bulk cargo volumes were down 14 percent from 2009. The port said this was primarily due to the continuing slow economic recovery in the United States, which it said hurt exports of products such as gypsum and imports of oil.
   The port said it is continuing to invest in its infrastructure to remain competitive by being able to accommodate larger-capacity container vessels that are coming into service. In 2010, it said work progressed on the $35 million South End Container Terminal berth extension and deepening project.