The Port of Virginia reported that July was its seventh consecutive month of positive TEU numbers relative to 2009. Last month, the port handled 153,994 TEUs, which marked an increase of 11,773 TEUs from the total seen in July 2009. Cargo was fairly evenly balanced: 51% exports, 49% imports.  Traffic declined, however, from the level seen in June (160,701 TEUs).  Breakbulk tonnage in July also saw growth over the recession-hit 2009 level, reaching 23,425 tons (up 3,885 tons).  Through the end of July, the port said it has handled 1,089,708 TEUs, up from 974,223 for the same period last year. Breakbulk traffic has been weaker in 2010, down 2,643 tons in the first 7 months of the year.

The Mexican government plans to expand its list of U.S. goods targeted for higher tariffs, as part of its retaliation for the U.S. government's refusal to reopen the border to long-haul cross-border trucking.  "The government of Mexico has renewed the list of U.S. goods subject to increased tariffs," according to a statement posted on the embassy's website. "The revised list will involve 99 U.S. products with a similar total export value to Mexico as the previous list."  The Mexican government "has yet to receive a formal proposal for resolution of this dispute and an unequivocal signal that the U.S. government is working to eliminate the barriers that Mexican long haul carriers face to access the U.S. market," the statement said.