P.O. Drawer 2297
Beaumont, Texas, U.S.A. 77704

Press Release Corps Tonnage 1999

BEAUMONT, TX (Feb 7, 2001) The Port of Beaumont was ranked fifth in foreign trade among United States ports, according to data reported by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The same report shows Beaumont sixth in total trade, which includes foreign and domestic commerce.
The Corps of Engineers' Navigation Data Center report, which was released in January, lists tonnage and ranking for the top 35 U.S. ports for 1999, the last year for which statistics are available. According to the report, the Port of Beaumont moved up significantly in the rankings for both foreign trade and total trade. In 1998, Beaumont was ranked seventh in the U.S. in foreign trade and 10th in total trade.
According to the Corps, the Port of Beaumont handled 69,405,951 tons of total trade in 1999. That was an increase of more than 9.3 million tons over the total tonnage in 1998. Foreign trade in 1999 was 53,855,574 tons in 1999, an increase of more than 10.4 million tons from the previous year. Foreign trade includes import and export cargo.
The majority of the traffic included in the Corps' figures was bulk liquid cargo such as crude oil, refined products such as gasoline, and chemicals. The Corps includes all public and private marine terminals in its statistics.
The Corps defines the Port of Beaumont as 20 miles of the Neches River from the mouth of the river near the Rainbow Bridge to Trinity Industries near downtown Beaumont. Included in this section of the river are several large refineries and bulk terminals, plus the public docks operated by the Port of Beaumont Navigation District.
The Corps' report ranks the Port of Beaumont ahead of several large ports such as Baton Rouge, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Texas City, Baltimore, Seattle and Boston in terms of total cargo handled.

"The ranking of the Port of Beaumont by the Corps of Engineers as fifth in foreign trade and sixth in total commerce is further evidence of the importance of waterborne commerce in southeast Texas and the vital need for channel improvements to keep the port competitive," said Don Allee, executive director of the Port of Beaumont.
The Port of Beaumont has joined other agencies in pledging funding for the local share of a feasibility study undertaken by the Corps of Engineers to investigate the need for deepening and widening the ship channel. The channel improvements study, which could take up to five years to complete, began last year.

For more information, contact Don Allee, Port of Beaumont, 409/835-5367

For the complete Corps of Engineers report, see their Website at www.wrsc.usace.army.mil/ndc/wcporton.htm