Photo courtesy of Port of Long Beach.
According to the Port of Long Beach (POLB), in February cargo terminals moved 20.1 percent fewer containers than the same month last year because of congestion issues.
A total of 413,114 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of containerized cargo were moved through the Port last month. Imports were recorded at 204,462 TEUs, a 24.7 percent decrease. Exports fell 22.9 percent to 110,711 TEUs. Empty containers saw a decline of 3.9 percent to 97,941 TEUs. According to the POLB, with imports exceeding exports, empty containers are sent overseas to be refilled with goods.
The cargo declines are largely due to congestion issues that worsened in February, read the release, while January saw an 18.8 percent drop in containerized cargo movement compared to 2014’s numbers.
Despite this report, the outlook for the POLB seems promising, with the tentative new contract for dockworkers announced, the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles working together with the blessing of federal regulators and the private chassis fleets pooling their resources all in the name of congestion relief.
Last year was the third busiest year in port history with a total of 6.82 million TEUs. The port will continue to modernize its facilities and invest in long-term, environmentally sustainable growth.