Port Manatee’s containerized cargo trade grew more than 53 percent in the just-ended  2021 fiscal year, while total cargo tonnage moving through the seaport also reached an all-time high, according to figures reported Tuesday, Oct. 19.

In the fiscal year that just ended on Sept. 30, 135,660 20-foot-equivalent container units crossed the docks of Port Manatee, up from moves of 88,466 TEUs in the preceding 12-month period. The FY 2021 figure is more than 3.5 times the number of TEUs handled by Port Manatee in FY 2018.

The port also achieved a record in total cargo tonnage in FY 2021, with 10,451,566 short tons handled, up 12.1 percent from 9,327,043 tons in FY 2020. Port Manatee’s FY 2021 container trade also reported a record 1,012,376 short tons, up 51.4 percent from 668,672 short tons in FY 2020.

Forest product tonnage moving through Port Manatee in fiscal 2021 was more than 2.3 times that of the preceding 12-month period, rising to 331,024 tons from 142,312 tons a year earlier. The flow of petroleum products through the port also remained strong.

Additionally, the port's soon-to-be-completed expansion is more than doubling the size of the paved facility adjoining Port Manatee’s berth 12 and 14 docks, bringing the yard’s extent to 21.9 acres.