On the heels of last year’s record-setting cargo volumes, the Port of Longview continued to demonstrate its cargo-handling expertise with another strong performance the first half of 2014.   The Port’s second-quarter cargo volumes of 1.6 million metric tons were 17 percent above last year’s second quarter. From January through June 2014, the Port handled 3.9 million metric tons of cargo, 4 percent more than in the first half of 2013. In the 2014 second quarter, the Port exported 71,419 million board feet of logs, a 6 percent increase above last year’s second quarter totals. Bulk bentonite clay also performed well, with 15,426 metric tons exported  ̶  166 percent above 2013 volumes for that three-month period. EGT, the Port’s export grain terminal, shipped out 560,773 metric tons of corn in the second quarter, more than a 2,200 percent increase above the 23,800 metric tons of corn exported in that period of 2013. EGT also exported 19,985 metric tons of bulk soybeans, a 59 percent increase above 2013 second-quarter totals. Imports of domestic metal products were 24 percent higher in the second quarter than last year, and foreign metal product imports were 43 percent higher for the first half of 2014 than the first six months of 2013. Last year, the Port of Longview handled total 7.4 million metric tons of cargo, which is 18 percent above 2012 cargo volumes. “This healthy volume growth is a testament to our strong cargo-handling capabilities,” said Geir-Eilif Kalhagen, the Port’s Chief Executive Officer. “With our diverse equipment and skilled workforce, we’re able to meet a wide range of needs, whether it’s bulk products, breakbulk or heavy-lift cargos. The more our cargo volumes rise, the more we can cement our position as Washington’s third-largest port.”