Port Manatee posts record first half of FY2018

Port Manatee in Palmetto, Florida, has posted a record first half of fiscal-year 2018 and is on pace to break full-year marks, the Manatee County Port Authority announced yesterday.

The Central Florida Gulf port logged new first-half highs for total tonnage throughput and a host of cargo sectors, according to a port authority press release.

Port Manatee's short line directly connects to a CSX mainline, which is less than 1 mile from the port's north gate.

As of the first six months ended March 31, the port logged the following year-over-year achievements:
• total short tons rose 18.2 percent to 4,495,733;
• containerized cargo as measured by 20-foot-equivalents units, or TEUs, increased 12.6 percent, to 18,894;
• containerized cargo tons climbed 12.2 percent to 192,679;
• dry bulk cargo tons soared 54.6 percent to 924,675;
• breakbulk cargo tons jumped 24.2 percent to 311,940; and
• liquid bulk cargo tons were up 10.2 percent to 3,066,462.

Port Manatee Executive Director Carlos Buqueras attributed containerized cargo growth to expansion of World Direct Shipping's Mexico services and Del Monte Fresh Produce N.A. Inc.'s ongoing transition to containers from breakbulk shipping, while the dry bulk surge was due to strong volumes of such commodities as phosphate rock, granite and sulphur. Rises in forest product volumes helped propel breakbulk gains, and increases in handling of gasoline, bunker fuels and citrus concentrates were key factors in the liquid bulk escalation.

"The diverse growth strategy we are advancing at Port Manatee is facilitating burgeoning commerce on all fronts," said Buqueras said. "All signs point to Port Manatee's achievement of a number of full-year records for fiscal 2018, which ends Sept. 30."