Steel, Lumber and Cement Needed to Support Florida Construction Industry
By Lori Musser
Port Tampa Bay’s breakbulk cargo volumes are blazing.
Wade Elliott, vice president of business development, said Tampa Bay is building out strategic assets as quickly as it can, keeping pace with scorching regional demand for construction materials such as steel, lumber and cement.
Non-containerized general cargo was up 34 percent in 2021 compared with the prior-year, and this year, Elliott said, growth will more than double. Breakbulk volumes exceeded 365,000 tonnes in the first half of the fiscal year, led by a 180 percent lumber increase.
Recently, a series of head-turning 40-tonne dragline buckets arrived inbound on Maersk vessels at Port Tampa Bay. These massive, 69-cubic-yard-capacity scoops were destined for Tampa-based phosphate mining and manufacturing giant, Mosaic.
Another up-and-coming sector is yacht cargo, high-end consumer goods that tend to thrive regardless of economic conditions. The port has identified yachts and mega-yachts as a growth opportunity. Other fast-growing breakbulk commodities include bagged cement and resins. The port’s refrigerated cargo partner is also logging growing volumes of breakbulk produce.
Perhaps their greatest strength in the cargo sector is their room to grow. Elliott said the port is currently building new large-scale facilities at East Port and Port Redwing, both of which will accommodate mixed cargoes including project cargo and breakbulk.
While the East Port facility is attracting great interest from the construction materials and solar field development industries, Elliott said Port Redwing is making room for cargo of all types, including heavy machinery, and it is already home to Tampa Tank Inc. – Florida Structural Steel, a fabrication and construction firm that specializes in ASME pressure vessels, field-erected API storage tanks, piping, bridge components and various other complex industrial modular steel components. Markets for these often-over-dimensional products are global.
Acknowledging the potential for continued growth largely driven by a state population influx that exceeds 1,000 new residents per day, the port recently attracted a Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity grant in the amount of US$12.6 million toward its new Berth 301 development at Port Redwing.
Port Tampa Bay and its general cargo terminal operator, Ports America, are showcasing breakbulk and project cargo facilities and services at Breakbulk Americas 2022, taking place on 27-29 September at the George R. Brown Convention Centre in Houston.
