Port of Beaumont reaches milestone handling military cargo.

Military cargo shipped through the Port of Beaumont for Operation Iraqi Freedom reached a major milestone recently. In early March, military cargo handled by the port for the war effort topped the one million ton mark. The milestone was set by military vehicles loaded on board the MV Cape Kennedy, a ship of the U.S. Maritime Administration's Ready Reserve Fleet.

For the war in Iraq, the port has handled more military cargo than any other U.S. port. Since December 2002 the East Texas port has handled more than 130 shiploads of cargo in support of operations in the Middle East. The high volume of shipments has made the Port of Beaumont one of the busiest ports for military cargo in the world.

"We are very pleased that the U.S. military once again called upon the Port of Beaumont to handle its strategic deployment in support of the war in Iraq," Executive Port Director David C. Fisher said. "Our excellent rail and highway connections to major military installations make us a very cost-effective port for strategic and defense cargo."

The cargo loaded on the Cape Kennedy consisted of equipment primarily from the 1st Brigade, 34th Infantry Division, representing the Montana National Guard and included wheeled, tracked and containerized cargo.

The first ship to toad cargo for Operation Iraqi Freedom at the Port of Beaumont sailed a few days before Christmas 2002. Since then, the port has handled about one-third of all of the military cargo deployed to and from the war.

The Port of Beaumont was first designated by the government to handle military cargo in 1953.

The 842nd Transportation Battalion, a unit of the U.S. Army's Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, operates at the Port of Beaumont and coordinates the reception, staging, loading and discharge of military cargo at the port.