LaPlace, LA — Year-to-date, facilities within Port of South Louisiana’s district handled over 228 million short tons of cargo. Tonnage data thus far seems to suggest that, once again, it is on course to surpass last year’s total throughput. If so, 2017 will be, yet again, a record-breaking year.
Overall cargo handling increased by 7% during the first three quarters of 2017 as compared to the same period of 2016 (214,199,175 million short tons). Likewise, both vessel and barge calls increased by 5% and 17%, respectively.
Of the seven main cargos handled within Port of South Louisiana, five of those showed significant increases in overall handling (that is, foreign and domestic trade combined): crude oil by 8% (up to 66.6 million short tons), petrochemicals by 2% (up to 45.5 million short tons), chemicals/fertilizers by 3% (up to 20.9 million short tons), steel products by 20% (up to 4.8 million short tons), and coal/lignite/coke more than doubled (up to 10.2 million short tons).
“We at the Port are happy to see the increase in tonnage,” says Executive Director Paul Aucoin. “Increased tonnage usually translates into more jobs. We are looking forward to a record year.”
Exports increased by 11% to over 51.1 million short tons primarily due to increased coal/lignite/coke movement. Though grain activity registered an increase, it was not significant (<1%). As Port of South Louisiana’s main import, crude oil increased by 2% to over 43.4 million short tons. The movement of cargos domestically also showed an increase (7%), particularly from the handling of chemicals/fertilizers, coal/lignite/coke, and petrochemicals.
For the complete statistics report, go to http://portsl.com/statistics/
As the largest tonnage port in the Western Hemisphere – and the 16th largest in the world (2016), Port of South Louisiana ranks first in grain exports and foreign trade zone activity and is a top-rated energy transfer port. The Port of South Louisiana handles approximately $60 billion in trade annually, supporting over 30 thousand direct jobs (6 of 10) in the River Region which translates to over 83 thousand jobs (1 of 25) in the state of Louisiana. Regionally, it contributes $1.8 billion in income, $14.4 billion in revenue, and $72.5 million in state and local taxes. The region has attracted billions of dollars of investment (over $23 billion) by companies in the petrochemical, fertilizer, and logistics industries. Projects like these are vital to sustaining and promoting further economic prosperity for the Port of South Louisiana, the River Region, and its labor force.
Port of South Louisiana consistently ranks above the ports of Houston, New York/New Jersey, New Orleans, Beaumont, Corpus Christi, Long Beach, Greater Baton Rouge, and Mobile. In 2016, the Port of South Louisiana ranked first in total trade (292.8 million short tons), imports (75.9 million short tons), and total domestic trade (147.5 million short tons).
About the Port of South Louisiana
The Port of South Louisiana is a 54-mile port district on the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, encompassing the parishes of St. Charles, St. John and St. James. The facilities located within the port’s district consistently handle over a quarter billion short tons of cargo annually, ranking it the largest tonnage port district in the Western Hemisphere, the nation’s greatest grain exporter, and one of the major energy transfer ports in the United States. Along the 108 miles of deep-water frontage on both banks of the river there are seven grain transfer facilities, four major oil refineries, 11 petrochemical manufacturing facilities and several other facilities for a total of more than 50 docks owned and operated by an impressive group of resident tenants such as ADM, ArcelorMittal, Dow, Cargill, DuPont, Marathon, Shell, Nucor Steel, Occidental, Valero, and Occidental Chemical. To learn more, visit us at www.portsl.com, like us on Facebook, and follow us on LinkedIn.
For more information about this particular topic or about the Port of South Louisiana, contact Alexandra “Alex” Hernández, Public Information Officer, at 985-652-9278 or ahernandez@portsl.com.
