Port Manatee celebrates record fiscal year

Across the board, increases were enjoyed by the diverse southwest Florida port in the just-ended fiscal year, besting numerous prior records, according to figures reported on Tuesday 16 October.

Due largely to a more-than-tripling of phosphate rock handled, Port Manatee saw its dry bulk tonnage surge 48.5% for the fiscal year, reaching a record 1 970 340, while liquid bulk, the port’s largest sector, saw an 11.4% boost, to a record 6 207 219 t, thanks to big gains in throughputs of gasoline and bunker fuels. Breakbulk activity for the year also established a new high point, up 9.8%, to 602 914 t, propelled by a gain of 128.8% in wood pulp and a nearly 50% increase in lumber tonnes.

“The record activity across all cargo sectors bears testament to the success of the diversified strategy we are implementing at Port Manatee and further adds to the impressive contributions the port makes to our region’s prosperity,” said Vanessa Baugh, Chairwoman of the Manatee County Port Authority.

Port Manatee’s Executive Director, Carlos Buqueras, noted that the port’s fiscal 2018 activity included throughput of nearly 422 million gallons of gasoline, as well as 73 million gallons of fruit juices and 413 060 t of fruits and vegetables, including bananas and pineapples shipped throughout the US Southeast.

“Port Manatee continues to play an increasingly integral role in supplying gas to stations in Southwest Florida and in filling the refrigerators of people throughout a still-broader region,” Buqueras said. “We are delighted to build upon our trend of growing the full spectrum of cargo volumes and see the positive impact Port Manatee is having as a key cog not only in global supply chains but, moreover, in the socioeconomic wellbeing of the region we are privileged to serve.”

Located “[w]here Tampa Bay Meets the Gulf of Mexico,” Port Manatee is the closest U.S. deepwater seaport to the expanded Panama Canal, with 10 40 ft draft berths serving container, bulk, breakbulk, heavylift, project and general cargo customers. The port generates more than US$2.3 billion in annual economic impact for the local community, while supporting more than 24 000 jobs, without levying ad-valorem taxes.

Read the article online at: https://www.drybulkmagazine.com/ports-terminals/19102018/port-manatee-celebrates-record-fiscal-year/