Delaware River Dredging Brings Benefits to Philadelphia Port (USA)

With 2,519,967 metric tons of cargo handled during the first six months of 2013 compared to the 2,217,803 metric tons of cargo handled during the same period of 2012, the facilities of the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority experienced a 13.62 percent gain in cargoes handled.

If current cargo trends continue throughout the remainder of the year, 2013 will be the fourth straight year of double-digit cargo growth at the Port of Philadelphia.

“The Port of Philadelphia is a very versatile port,” said PRPA Chairman Charles G. Kopp, Esq. in response to the just-released cargo figures. “This is demonstrated by the fact that containers, breakbulk cargoes, and liquid bulk all showed strong gains during the first six months of this year.”

“With the deepening of the Delaware River’s main channel and our Southport Marine Terminal Project, the Port of Philadelphia is making the necessary improvements to our facilities and infrastructure to assure growth in the future,” said Chairman Kopp.

“But these impressive year-to-date cargo statistics demonstrate that PRPA and its terminal operators are out there right now building our business, before those enhancements come online. I’m very proud of what this port has been accomplishing in the areas of job creation and overall economic impact to our region. Further, these cargo statistics justify the ongoing support of Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett and his administration, who have recognized the importance of their international seaport in Philadelphia with strategic and substantial investment.”

The Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PRPA) is an independent agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania charged with the management, maintenance, marketing, and promotion of publicly-owned port facilities along the Delaware River in Philadelphia, as well as strategic planning throughout the port district.

PRPA works with its terminal operators to modernize, expand, and improve its facilities, and to market those facilities to prospective port users. Port cargoes and the activities they generate are responsible for thousands of direct and indirect jobs in the Philadelphia area and throughout Pennsylvania.

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Press Release, July 19, 2013