Gulf ports bulk up: Strong volume growth continues.

BYLINE: Janet Nodar

Bulk cargoes, massive imports and exports of essentials such as grain, petroleum products, fertilizers and even orange juice concentrate can take a back seat to breakbulk and container cargo, but they are still the lifeblood of many Gulf ports, including South Louisiana, Corpus Christi and Tampa. Several of South Louisiana and Tampa's bulk tenants are expanding their facilities, while Corpus Christi is negotiating plans to expand or build new dry and liquid bulk facilities.

The Port of South Louisiana handled approximately 254 million tons of bulk cargo in 2006 at its public and private facilities, including 55.7 million tons of petrochemicals and 20 million tons of fertilizer. Corpus Christi and Tampa are also important bulk ports in the Gulf, handling 86,726,136 and 46,908,957 tons of bulk cargo in 2006. These numbers are only expected to increase as refineries and other private and public bulk terminals add capacity and as regional populations grow, pushing demand.

Port of South Louisiana The Port of South Louisiana is the largest tonnage port in the Western Hemisphere and the fifth-largest worldwide, said Joel Chaisson, executive director. The 54-mile-long Port of South Louisiana, which stretches along the Mississippi …