PortMiami & Miami Int'l Airport Saw More Travelers, Cargo Last Year
MIAMI (CBS4) - Two major South Florida thoroughfares are celebrating an uptick in travel and goods.
PortMiami and Miami International Airport saw gains in cargo and passengers in fiscal year 2010-2011
PortMiami reports that containerized cargo movements were up 7 percent, with a total of 906,607 TEU's (twenty-foot equivalent units) during the year long period, which ended on September 30, 2011. With those numbers, PortMiami again ranks as the number one container port in the Sunshine State.
"We are extremely pleased with our performance," Port Director Bill Johnson said Wednesday "The seven percent increase in container volumes follows a five percent growth the previous year—solid performances in view of the ongoing uncertainties in the global economy."
Cruise traffic was up as well. For the fourth consecutive year, four million passengers traveled through PortMiami, more than any other port in the world.
Officials at PortMiami expect the number one ranking to stick around for a while with the addition of three cruise lines in 2012, including Regent Seven Seas Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, and Disney Cruise Line. Three newly built ships will also call the port home; the Celebrity Reflection, the Carnival Breeze and Oceania Riviera.
"These new cruise ships will rank among the most exciting and innovative in the world adding to our already distinguished galaxy of cruise vessels," Johnson said.
Johnson credits strong Latin American economies for keeping the port so successful. More than 50 percent of PortMiami's trade is with South and Central American nations.
At Miami International Airport, aviation officials say the airport grew the fastest out of the top 20 in the country. Due to the growth, an estimated 6% percent more domestic passengers traveled through the concourses at MIA over last year, with a 9% increase seen in international travelers.
