Cargo traffic through the Port of Halifax is continuing a slow climb out of the recession.
Numbers for the second quarter of 2011 show an 11.8% increase in cargo traffic at the port over the same quarter in 2010.
“We’re not dealing with a grand change here, but it is encouraging,” spokeswoman Michele Peveril said in an interview.
“In this post-recession period, all the North American ports are anticipating a slow return to regular volumes.”
Figures from the port show the overall increase in tonnage handled during the second quarter was linked to significant increase in breakbulk cargo.
“This includes oversized cargo that cannot fit into a traditional container and also an increasing volume of soyabeans moving through the port destined for Asia,” said Peveril.
Breakbulk also includes some machinery and forest products. The category is up 34.9% for the second quarter over the same period of 2010.
Container cargo, which accounts for the bulk of all cargo moving through the port, experienced growth for the seventh consecutive quarter. There was a 6% increase in the first quarter of 2011 and a 3.3% increase in the second, compared to the second quarter of 2010.
An analysis of the port indicates cargo volumes grew during the second quarter despite continuing signs in the global economy that a sustained economic recovery has yet to take hold.
“A strong Canadian dollar compared to its US counterpart, coupled with continuing weak consumer demand, has resulted in moderate cargo gains,” says part of the analysis.
Roll-on roll-off cargo, comprised mostly of vehicles, was up 7.1% over the second quarter of 2010.