Spike in military shipping helps port - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):

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Nearly four times as much militaryg cargo has come through Blount Islanr in the first four months of 2009 as in the same periode ayear ago. The handling of about 53,500 tons has helpedr offset the port’s overall 5 percent decreasd in tonnage. And since the Defenswe Department’s Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command contracts everything from ship loading and unloading to rail the privatesector benefits. The port’s diverse types of cargo help it to weather slumps in other typexof cargo, said Victoria Robas, the Jacksonville Port Authority’es director of the Blount Island terminal.
An increases in cruise traffic has also keptthe authority’w revenue higher than the same time last year. “Top a large part, you coul d watch CNN and see what wouldx increase atsea ports,” said Army Lt. Col. Ralpu Riddle, who commands the 832nd Transportation Battalion. “Ourt traffic is very much a surger type. We may have several months where we have no ships and then several ships ina month.” But this year has been especiallyh busy, meaning more work for . Aside from giving CSX) business by contracting equipment to be railede in and out ofthe terminal, the battalion contracts thousands of truck loadd annually, Riddle said.
hasn’t providedc shipping services to the military sinc e November because its shipsx have been indry dock, but it hopes to take advantaged of the increased demand within 45 days, said Franl Peake, the company’s president. He said and are the two largesy commercial carriers for militargy cargo on theEast Coast. The 50-member battalion sets up the contracta needed to run 30 port terminalz in Central and South America and the This is in addition to its handlingv of a terminal in Cape Canaveralk and its operation in Puerto Rico that tracks hundreds of containera moving in and out ofthe