Port of Mobile in Alabama saw a record cargo volume last year with 50 percent increase in container cargo traffic and a record year for coal shipments.
More than 27 million tonnes of cargo passed through the port's docks last year, 21 million tonnes of which was coal, the newspaper reported. The port handled about 24.6 million tonnes of cargo in 2006.
Containers also added to the record cargo volume last year as more than 108,500 TEUs passed through Mobile in 2007, compared with 68,823 TEUs in 2006.
The record cargo volume also helped the port earn US$104 million in revenue last year.
Meanwhile the Alabama State Port Authority agreed to pay $1.3 million for 46 acres of land on which it will build the Choctaw Point container terminal.
The land was purchased from the Mobile Airport Authority and was a requirement of the federal government's environmental approval process for the new container terminal. The port authority plans to create a park and marshland on the property.
The park is intended to give residents better access to Mobile Bay and will include a parking area, gazebos, a boardwalk and pier. Work on the park is expected to begin within six months.
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