Containerized cargo volumes continue to grow at PortMiami. The Port posted an eight percent increase for the first four months of fiscal year 2015-2016 compared to last year, and in January alone cargo moves increased approximately 20 percent.

PortMiami is now servicing bigger ships. In the past six months the Port has seen a trend in container vessels with more than 40-foot drafts berth at the port, including vessels that will soon be able to transit the expanded Panama Canal once the project is completed later this year.

PortMiami officials attribute the new trends and continued volume growth to more than $1 billion of capital infrastructure projects recently completed. Miami now offers shippers and ocean carriers the deepest channel in the southeast U.S. at 50 feet. Its fast-access tunnel connecting the port directly to the U.S. interstate highway system, and the Florida East Coast Railway (FECR) on-dock intermodal rail service provide rapid turnaround time for the movement of import and export cargo while connecting to a network reaching 70 percent of the U.S. population within four days.

“FECR saw a substantial increase from the previous year in intermodal volume at the on-dock rail facility,” said Jim Hertwig, the company’s CEO. “Today we are positioned to support vessels capable of hauling more than 10,000 TEU, and FECR will continue to promote multi-modal shipping and support global trade into and out of South Florida, alongside our partners at PortMiami.”

” We are continually striving to create new programs, incentives and infrastructure accommodations for our customers,” said Port Director and CEO Juan M. Kuryla. “We are confident that international trade and commerce at PortMiami will only get stronger as we continue to work on expanding our services into emerging markets such as Africa, Asia, India and others. The completion of the Panama Canal expansion will be a game changer for Miami, as there is no other port on the east coast south of Virginia capable of handling neo-panamax vessels.”