The Port of Greater Baton Rouge reports a 5% decline in tonnage from the end of 2007 to the end of 2008, from 5.5 million to 5.3 million tons. The biggest decline was at the port’s molasses terminal, where tonnage dropped by 82%. The first quarter of 2009 shows a much larger overall tonnage decline of 29%, though the figure is not necessarily indicative of a trend since many commodities handled at the port are seasonal and can vary substantially month to month. “With the projects planned for this year at the port, we expect 2009 will be a relatively stable business environment,” port spokeswoman Karen St. Cyr says.
Tonnage at the Port of South Louisiana dropped even more, with a nearly 10% decline from 2007 to 2008. The Port of New Orleans has suffered a serious decline in traffic. Shipments there fell to slightly under 6 million tons in 2008, the port’s worst performance since 1985.—Steve Clark
