The Port of Philadelphia (PhilaPort) handled a total of 667,069 metric tons of cargo and moved 54,185 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of container throughput and 109,604 metric tons of forest products during the month of August, all of which are records for a single month for the port.
The previous record for monthly tonnage was set in May 2017 with 625,935 metric tons handled, while the previous TEU monthly record of 50,152 was achieved in January.
According to PhilaPort CEO Jeff Theobald, the records were a result of the port’s highly-productive labor force, marine terminal operations, and an improved perception of the port as the reason the new records were set.
“As we continue to upgrade our infrastructure and improve our systems, the word is getting out,” Theobald said. “That’s why shippers are choosing PhilaPort as their preferred port.”
The port also noted that the total tonnage of the cargo inside its containers in August was 376,517 metric tons, also a monthly record for the port.
The productive month enabled PhilaPort to be a leader in growth rates among all northeastern U.S. ports, with supply chain professionals citing a rising awareness of the port, a growing number of distribution centers in the area, and congestion at neighboring ports as a reason for choosing PhilaPort in recent months.
“We are proud that we can increase cargo volumes while working on our Port Development Plan,” Greg Iannarelli, senior director of Business Development for PhilaPort, said. “Our goal is to minimize disruptions to customers while we construct the infrastructure necessary to improve the Port, and so far, we are achieving the goal.”