Business surges at local port during pandemic

Port Manatee didn't take even a second to breathe in 2020. Instead, the port barreled through the pandemic in a move that paid off with a reported 55% increase in cargo.

  • By Business Observer Staff
  • | 12:00 p.m. September 30, 2021
  • | 0 Free Articles Remaining!
File. Port Manatee reported a 55% increase in containerized cargo at the end of the 2020 fiscal year.
File. Port Manatee reported a 55% increase in containerized cargo at the end of the 2020 fiscal year.
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While the rest of the world was on pause in 2020, Port Manatee kept chugging away. 

“The port never closed for 10 minutes during 2020,” Port Manatee Executive Director Carlos Buqueras said at a recent Manatee Chamber of Commerce Headliners event, noting people still relied on the port to provide fuel. “We’re open more than Publix.” 

 

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