10:22am | The Port of Long Beach saw a slight 2.5 percent drop in container volume in July from a year ago, while imports were down by 1.2 percent and exports were barely above flat with a 0.6 increase in volume, according to the latest port figures released on Monday.
Contributing to the overall dip was a 7.3 percent decrease in empty containers being shipped overseas, the port stated.
Port terminals handled 572,926 twenty-foot equivalent container units last month, compared to 581,881 TEUs in July 2010.
“While our fiscal year numbers have been strong, up over 10 percent in 2011 versus 2010, July’s volumes do show that importers, particularly retailers, are taking a much more conservative approach to their holiday inventories,” said Sean Strawbridge, Managing Director of Trade Relations and Port Operations.
Strawbridge said that since 2010 was a strong year for imports the fact that this year’s volumes are holding steady, or are slightly down, is not bad news “given the general state of the economy.”
Import containers accounted for 290,314 TEUs in July compared with 293,878 TEUs last year, while export containers reached 126,968 TEUs, up from126,117 TEUs in July 2010, according to port figures.