The volume of cargo moving through U.S. ports increased 3.1% in 2014 compared with the prior year, buoyed by a rise in exports and gains in shipping along inland waterways and in the Great Lakes region, the American Association of Port Authorities reported Jan. 29 based on an analysis of the latest data from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Port Tampa Bay CEO Paul Anderson told port constituents Jan. 20 that his port will build more new berths, warehouses and cargo facilities on more land than almost any other port in the United States in coming years.

Cargo volumes continued to increase in November at Savannah, Georgia, where container cargo climbed 4.7%, and the combined ports of Seattle and Tacoma, Washington, whose 18% growth was affected by union contract-related activity.

Industry groups generally welcomed a FAST Act provision that would require the U.S. Department of Transportation to create performance metrics to reduce delays at major ports, speed future cargo flow and prevent a recurrence of delays that plagued ports over the past year.

Container traffic at the Port of Long Beach, California, rose 6.3% last month, with help from increased exports, to post the best October total in eight years.

The Port of Long Beach earlier this month said it completed a $93 million rail project that will shift more ocean cargo directly to freight trains and reduce truck traffic as well as emissions.

The Port of Baltimore became the latest East Coast port to announce higher summer shipment volumes, posting a 12.2% increase in July over the same month last year.

Energy-efficient port operations are expected to rise tenfold over the next 10 years as truckers use more natural gas-powered trucks and ports deploy more technology such as shore power to reduce fuel consumption, a new report says.