Coastwise Trade.-- The outbound coastwise trade in 1956 consisted of 6,986,822 short tons of petroleum products of which 93% was shipped to Atlantic ports and 7% to other Gulf Coast ports. The inbound coastwise movement at Lake Charles amounted to 283,189 short tons of which 96% originated in Gulf Coast ports and 4% in Atlantic ports. Petroleum products and chemicals were the principal commodities received. Intercoastal.-- Petroleum products totalling 44,867 short tons made up the entire shipments in this trade. There were no receipts during the year. Noncontiguous.-- Outbound shipments in this trade totalled 73,556 short tons during 1956 of which Puerto Rico/ Virgin Islands received 76% while Alaska received 24%. The latter area received all tanker cargoes (petroleum products) while the former consisted of dry cargoes with rice the volume leader. Receipts during 1956 in this trade totalled only 321 tons from Puerto Rico. Domestic internal movement totalled 7,376,026 short tons, of which 4,116,767 tons was receipts and the remaining 3,259,259 tons was shipments. A total of 981,579 short tons of commodities moved in local traffic. Petroleum and petroleum products and sea shells made up the bulk of the tonnage accounted for in these classes of traffic at the port. |