The Port of Portland on Friday said 2010 was its third-best year ever for marine cargo, reaching more than 13.1 million tons.

Though most of the numbers aren’t on par with record-setting years in 2007 and 2008, they show solid signs of recovery in the port’s marine business after a treacherous 2009.

This year will be a year of transition for the business, particularly in the lucrative container cargo category. The port last year decided to outsource the operation of its Terminal 6 container terminal to International Container Terminal Services Inc., a Phillippines-based global marine terminal management firm whose goal is to make Portland more of an international cargo gateway.

From the Portland Business Journal