By Mark Edward Nero
The Port of Anchorage saw an increase in overall tonnage in
2014, the first time in three years such an occurrence has taken place,
according to the port.
Last year, containerized cargo and vehicle tonnage across
the dock was up four percent over 2013 numbers, based on business numbers
reported by the port’s two resident ocean carriers, Horizon Lines and Totem Ocean
Trailer Express.
Also, a total of 15 fuel tankers called on the Port of
Anchorage in 2014 compared to only five in 2013, according to Port Director
Steve Ribuffo. The total related quantity represents a 59 percent increase in
fuel delivered over the dock when compared to 2013, according to the port.
“We’ve had a steady flow of fuel traffic at the Port of
Anchorage in 2014 and so far in 2015,” Ribuffo said. “Essentially, there had
been at least one tanker here offloading petroleum every month and we don’t see
the surge letting up anytime soon.”
The fuel arrives by tanker or barge and travels through one
of the nine petroleum offload headers on the two dedicated petroleum docks.
In 2013, 4.2 million barrels of fuel entered the port from
domestic and foreign suppliers; that number jumped to 6.7 million barrels in
2014.
“While there’s a real and serious need to modernize our dock
infrastructure, it's very clear from a business perspective that we can
successfully support more tonnage within the same footprint,” Ribuffo said.
