Port of Halifax sets new container volumes record in 2017

The Canadian port handled 559,242 TEUs in 2017, surpassing its previous full-year record set in 2005 of 550,462 TEUs.    Containerized cargo volumes through the Port of Halifax have set a new port record, the Halifax Port Authority (HPA) announced Thursday.
   In 2017, containerized cargo volumes through the port reached 559,242 TEUs, up 16 percent from 2016, marking the highest amount of containerized cargo the port has handled in a single year.
   The previous record was set in 2005 at 550,462 TEUs.
   During the fourth quarter of 2017, import volumes totaled 71,249 TEUs, up 20.3 percent year-over-year, while export volumes stood at 69,239 TEUs, up 3.4 percent. Total container throughput during the quarter grew by 11.3 percent from the fourth quarter of 2016.
   “The current growth cycle is a reflection of the hard work of key port partners, including terminal operators, ocean carriers, rail provider CN [Canadian National], labor, marine pilots, tug operators, and our partners in the tourism sector,” HPA President and CEO Karen Oldfield said. “This past year also saw the arrival of ultra container vessels over 10,000 TEUs to our port. All of this combined provides a very strong foundation on which to build, and we are looking forward to our continued work together in the year ahead.”
   Situated on Canada’s East Coast, the Port of Halifax is called by 16 liner services connecting it to regions outside North America, according to ocean carrier schedule and capacity database BlueWater Reporting‘s Port Dashboard tool. Ten of these services deploy fully cellular containerships, four deploy roll-on/roll off vessels or pure car/truck carriers, one deploys con-ro vessels and one deploys multi-purpose vessels.