The Port of Palm Beach District announced that it has reached a five-year contract amendment with Tropical Shipping. The amendment will afford Tropical Shipping the comfort of newly negotiated rates at the port of Palm Beach through June 2013. The contract provides for increases in revenue to the Port and additional incentives for Tropical Shipping to increase annual tonnage through the Port.

This amendment will allow for positive continued growth for the Port of Palm Beach district and Tropical Shipping; while continuing to stimulate the economy in Palm Beach County and throughout the Bahamas and Caribbean islands. Tropical Shipping is one of the Port of Palm Beach's most valued tenants, providing complete cargo transportation services in the Bahamas and throughout the Caribbean; including dry, refrigerated, less than container load, consolidation, cargo transfer, inland transportation and project cargo services. Tropical Shipping has been a leader in providing quality, on-time transportation services for more than 40 ears throughout the Caribbean Basin.

"We are pleased to have a customer with the proven track record that Tropical Shipping has," Edward R. Oppel, Chairman of the Port Commission said. "In these troubling economic times, this amendment is vital to maintaining the Port's role as the economic engine of Palm Beach County."

The Port handles nearly three million tons of cargo and 245,000 containers annually and is ranked among the top 25 container ports in the nation. The Port of Palm Beach was established in 1915 as an independent special taxing district, a subdivision of the State of Florida.