Eastland Port is celebrating a new milestone after exporting a monthly record of of 322,360 tonnes of cargo during November.

The previous record was 316,765 tonnes in August 2018.Eastland Group chief operating officer Andrew Gaddum said November's result compares with 313,000 tonnes of cargo handled over the entire 2005/06 year.'Achieving this level of productivity in just one month would be unimaginable back then.'Mr Gaddum said partnership had been the key to Eastland Port's new export record.'We couldn't achieve milestones like this without the dedication and support of our partners, who ensure that the port runs efficiently and safely.'Thank you to everyone involved in this record-breaking achievement.'The port was the end of the supply chain, he said.'There are thousands of people working within the forestry industry that have contributed to this record, especially stevedoring company ISO.'This is a significant achievement for them, during their first month operating all wharfside operations.'A ship carrying 30,000 tonnes of logs injects over $3 million into the regional economy, with more than 50 percent of that amount going to local contractors and suppliers, he said.'Export milestones aside, Eastland Port is proud to be a pillar within a number of industries, including forestry, that directly and indirectly creates many jobs within this community.'A successful November tonnage-wise follows seven months of disruption caused by unprecedented long-period or infra-gravity waves in the bay.'November was the first month since March 2019 that we have not had any shipping delays due to weather.'Mr Gaddum said as well as being the vital link for wood export, there was also a growing need for the port to provide for higher-value break-bulk products and container exports from the forestry, horticultural and agricultural industries.'The weather disruption we experienced further highlights the importance of developing the port to berth two ships at the same time.'That will help us keep the region's economy moving and export more goods in the gaps around significant weather events.'The port berthed 14 vessels throughout November in addition to the first cruise ship of the 2019/20 season, the Coral Discoverer.In the 2018/19 financial year, Eastland Port achieved 2.9 million tonnes of cargo throughput.