In March PortMiami recorded approximately 84,000 TEUs, compared to the 73,000 TEUs moved during the same period last year, and for the first six months 477,400 TEUs compared to 426,000TEUs for the same period last year.“PortMiami is recognized as a major global logistics hub in the Americas,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez.  “In November 2014, industry leaders ranked PortMiami No. 1 on the U.S. East Coast for port productivity and performance for the first six calendar months of 2014. Solid partnerships and continued commitment to growing PortMiami’s business allows Miami-Dade County to stay competitive and generate an economic impact of approximately $27 billion annually supporting over 207,000 jobs.” More than $1 billion of capital infrastructure projects are transforming PortMiami. Already in place are new super post-Panamax gantry cranes that can service cargo vessels up to 22 containers wide with up to nine containers above deck and eleven containers below; new on-dock intermodal rail service linking PortMiami to 70 percent of the U.S. population in four days or less; as well as a new tunnel linking the Port directly to the United States Interstate Highway System. These projects are providing the world’s top ocean carriers with the convenience of fast, reliable quality service. In addition to the already completed infrastructure improvements, PortMiami is counting down to July 2015 for the completion of the Deep Dredge project that is deepening the Port’s main harbor channel from -42 feet to a depth of -50/52 feet.  PortMiami will be the only major logistics hub south of Virginia capable of handling fully laden post-Panamax vessels.  “Reliability is the key to success in the port industry, it is as important as capacity and productivity,” said PortMiami Director and CEO Juan M. Kuryla. At PortMiami we are working hard to put the infrastructure in place to provide the world’s top ocean carriers the best quality of service, but the key to our growth is largely dependent on the continued partnership and efforts of our primary stakeholders.  Together, we ensure that every port user can efficiently conduct business at the Port.  Our customers are our priority.” “We are extremely pleased with PortMiami’s performance,” said Miami-Dade County Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz, Chairman of the Trade and Tourism Committee that oversees PortMiami. “The Port’s 12 percent growth in container volumes clearly indicates that we are moving in the right direction.” Come July 2015, the newly deepened PortMiami will be a viable option for trade and commerce from the Southeastern United States to reach markets worldwide. This paves the way for the Port to become an even more reliable transshipment hub in the region.