Port Of New Orleans Sees 22% Bump In Breakbulk Cargo

The Port of New Orleans reported 140,391 total tons of breakbulk cargo during June, a 22% year-over-year increase from June 2020.

Breakbulk shipments to the port included steel coils and heavy-lift/project cargo.

On June 10, the port discharged 300 steel coils to a barge at Coastal Cargo breakbulk and heavy-lift terminal at the Louisiana Avenue Complex. The cargo was then transported to another barge and made its way upriver to be off-loaded at the Port of Caddo-Bossier in Shreveport, Louisiana.

The barges containing 300 cold-rolled coils from Kaohsiung, Taiwan, were shipped to the steelwork manufacturer Ternium Corp. in Shreveport on June 24.

"This significant shipment of steel coils is a prime example of how Port of New Orleans is not only a rail and waterway gateway for the Midwest region but also for the state of Louisiana," Brandy D. Christian, president and CEO of the Port of New Orleans and CEO of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad, said in a statement.

The Port of New Orleans handled 44,003 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in June, a 1.3% decrease from the same period last year. 

It was the second straight month New Orleans reported a decline in total TEUs. In May, the port handled 50,801 TEUs, a 0.1% decrease from the same period last year. 

The Port of New Orleans also saw a 2.5% year-over-year increase in Class 1 railcar switches during June. The port handles switching operations for the six Class I railroads that operate in New Orleans: BNSF Railway, CN, CSX, Kansas City Southern, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific.

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