Gulf Trade : Top Carriers and Ports

Special Report

are traditionally shipped as breakbulk , such as steel and aluminum from Asia , instead moving in containers , thanks to a slump in trans-Pacific container freight rates . Containerized wood products imported from Asia , specifically plywood , jumped 233 % in 2023 , Coates said .

The same is true for imported metals in containers , Coates said . Imports of iron and steel from both China and South Korea grew 88 % for the year , while South Korean aluminum “ increased a staggering 2,195 %,” she said . The spike “ can be attributed to increased container availability at export origins and competitive rates when compared to breakbulk options ,” Coates said .

Breakbulk and bulk cargo volumes at New Orleans fell 26 % to 1.7 million tons in 2023 . Port of NOLA

Canal congestion

Delays and diversions caused by draft limitations and transit restrictions at the Panama Canal have had little effect on breakbulk vessels calling New Orleans , Coates said .

“ There ’ s been a slight slowdown in the number of calls by breakbulk cargo vessels due to delays transiting the canal ,” she said . “ But the overall impact on breakbulk from the Panama Canal disruption has been minimal .”

Similarly , Port NOLA has seen little canal-related impact on container volumes . As with breakbulk cargo , the port saw far more impact from the supply chain disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 – 22 , Coates said .

“ New Orleans is an export-dominant port , and during the pandemic , carriers made the decision to omit port calls due to lack of import demand ,” she said . “ Those days are long behind us , and schedule reliability has increased significantly .”

Container vessel calls to New Orleans surged 31 % to 346 last year from 264 in 2022 , while containerized volumes rose 12 % to 482,000 TEUs , Coates said .

“ Those days are long behind us , and schedule reliability has increased significantly .”

Calls and throughput are expected to increase substantially when the $ 1.8 billion Louisiana International Terminal , to be constructed downriver from New Orleans , opens in 2028 . The new facility will be able to receive ultra-large container ships and will add 2 million TEUs of capacity to the port . Construction is scheduled to begin in 2025 .

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Seaboard Marine expands US Gulf – Central America short-sea service

By Michael Angell departure of the Seaboard Pioneer from Jacintoport in Houston , will use a string of three ships , Seaboard Marine said in a statement .

The service will make additional calls to Nicaragua , El Salvador , Panama and Costa Rica , along with existing calls

Port Houston

Short-sea carrier Seaboard Marine has upgraded a US Gulf Coast service with additional port calls in Central America as a growing trade in US-sourced raw materials develops between the two regions .

The service upgrade , which began with the March 10

22 Journal of Commerce | April 22 , 2024 www . joc . com