Seaports still feeling steel tariffs' sting.

Byline: Henry J. Holcomb

May 4--The nation's seaports, including Philadelphia, are still reeling from the Bush administration's steel import tariffs, speakers at an industry forum said here yesterday.

The tariffs, imposed in 2002 to support domestic steel and terminated in late 2003, caused a dramatic drop in a key component of port business here and elsewhere, said Dennis Rochford, president of the Maritime Exchange for the Delaware River and Bay, a nonprofit trade association.

In 1999, 375 cargo ships delivered steel to terminals on the Delaware River. This year, only 200 steel-carrying vessels are expected, Rochford told the American Institute …