Philadelphia port’s cargo up 13% in first half

   The Philadelphia Regional Port Authority said it handled 2,519,967 metric tons of cargo in the first six months of this year, or a 13.62 percent increase over the same period in 2012.
   If current cargo trends continue through the remainder of the year, 2013 will be the fourth straight year of double-digit cargo growth at the Port of Philadelphia.
   “The Port of Philadelphia is a very versatile port,” said PRPA Chairman Charles G. Kopp in a statement. “This is demonstrated by the fact that containers, breakbulk cargoes, and liquid bulk all showed strong gains during the first six months of this year.”
   Year-to-date, the port handled 168,820 TEUs of containers, compared to the 135,656 TEUs handled during the same period in 2012, resulting in a 24 percent gain.
   Breakbulk cargoes, including steel, forest products, cocoa beans, fruit, projects, automobiles and sugar, were up 18 percent during the first half of this year.
   Liquid bulk cargoes also showed a 7 percent gain in the first half of 2013. With 655,448 metric tons of liquid bulk arriving at the port between January and June, compared to the 611,022 tons handled during the same period last year.
   “With the deepening of the Delaware River’s main channel and our Southport Marine Terminal Project, the Port of Philadelphia is making the necessary improvements to our facilities and infrastructure to assure growth in the future,” Kopp said.