LOS ANGELES: The Port of Los Angeles moved 786,677 container units in August, its best month since August 2006, when the port moved 790,726 units.
The 3.8 percent jump is modest compared to the Port of Long Beach, which recently announced two months of record-breaking cargo movement, moving 703,652 cargo units in August. That’s the most in a month recorded in the Long Beach port’s 104-year history and a 22.8 percent jump from the same time last year. It’s a significant rebound from June, when cargo numbers fell in Long Beach by 4.4 percent.
After a 2 percent drop in June and a 2.5 percent drop in July due in part to backups caused by port congestion, Los Angeles port officials are cheered by their August cargo growth, adding that it’s the port’s fifth strongest month ever. The Los Angeles port is also chasing its record best of 800,063 units, set in October 2006 before the Great Recession.
“(August’s) numbers are strong indicators that our terminal operators, longshore labor and supply chain partners are adjusting to the new industry dynamics of carrier alliances, deploying larger ships and delivering higher container volumes per call,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said in a statement. “Our San Pedro Bay supply chain optimization working groups, overseen by the Federal Maritime Commission, are providing valuable insights that contribute to our mission to improve cargo-flow efficiency and velocity.”
Both ports saw sluggish numbers after shippers decided to divert their ships to other ports because of the congestion created by the lack of available trailers used to tow containers and contentious labor talks between longshore union and employers.
