Port Everglades’ officials have reported that containerised cargo for October and November, the first two months of the port’s 2010-11 fiscal year, is up 9.6% over the same time period last year, to 136,658 TEU, although the figure is still below the all-time high in 2008.

A new service from the Far East as partly responsible for the increase. CSAV began its new AMEX service in June. It includes a rotation of 10 3500 TEU vessels making weekly calls to Port Everglades from Asia, through the Panama Canal, to the USEC and the Caribbean.

The port is moving forward with several capital improvements to foster growth in container traffic. A new 41-acre yard is nearing completion, more than half of which will be used by SeaFreight and a new 100t Gottwald mobile harbour crane has been purchased.

Earlier this month Crowley Maritime agree a new 10-year terminal lease that calls for additional acreage and increased container guarantees. The terms of the new lease call for increasing Crowley’s terminal from 68.2 to 80 acres.

Guaranteed container moves will begin at 110,000 in 2011, increase to 112,000 in 2012, and increase by 1000 annually thereafter on each January 1st through 2020. Under the new agreement Crowley’s first-year guarantee represents nearly 96% of their FY10 container volumes.

• The Canaveral Port Authority has closed on a US$42M loan from PNC Financial Services Group to accelerate the development of a new cruise terminal and cargo facilities. The 3.14% interest rate loan has a term of 13 years and with the Port’s existing debt, will enable Port Canaveral to be debt-free in 2023. During its December Board meeting, the Commission voted unanimously to supplement its own revenues for the $100 million expansion program in order to move forward to take advantage of low construction costs.