Port of Miami saw cargo volumes drop in 2007

Port of Miami saw cargo volumes drop in 2007    The Port of Miami saw cargo volumes drop in 2007 for a second year in a row.
   The port handled 884,945 TEUs of containerized cargo in 2007, 9.4 percent less than the 976,514 it moved in 2006. Volumes in 2006 were also 7.4 percent lower than the 1.05 million TEU it handled in 2005.
   Tonnage has also slipped in recent years, from 9.47 million tons in 2005 to 8.65 million tons in 2006 and 7.84 million tons in 2007.
   Port Director Bill Johnson told an audience attending a “State of the Ports” lunch earlier this week that the seaport expects 4 percent freight growth this year, according to a report in the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
   The port expects to benefit from a decision by Maersk Line to consolidate its port operations in South Florida to a single terminal at the Port of Miami. Maersk said in January it would end a longstanding relationship with Port Everglades, and begin solely operating out of the Port of Miami