Long Beach Cargo Volume Sinks 7 Percent

APL SWEDEN at dock, Berth 300, Port of Los Angeles, California, USA. Photo by Lance Cunningham via Flickr

Container volume at the Port of Long Beach was down 7.7 percent in July compared to the same month in 2015, when harbor terminals handled a record amount of cargo.

Dockworkers moved 637,091 twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) last month. Imports totaled 325,608 containers, a 5.9 percent year-over-year decrease. Exports numbered 142,812 TEUs, a slight drop of 0.7 percent. Empties decreased to 168,671, 15.9 percent lower than July 2015, the Port’s strongest July on record.

Due to continued market uncertainty and high inventory levels, the traditional holiday peak season is off to a slow start and several national forecasts have been revised downward to reflect this softness in cargo movement. Coming off a record year in 2015 – the third-highest in the Port’s history – volumes at the Port of Long Beach are down 1.9 percent through July.

With an ongoing $4 billion program to modernize its facilities this decade, the Port of Long Beach is building the Port of the Future by investing in capital and service improvements that will bring long-term, environmentally sustainable growth.