WASHINGTON: The Port of Los Angeles is on track to beat last year’s record-breaking volumes. In their monthly cargo report, port officials reported cargo volumes were up 8.9 percent in April compared to the same time last year and up 10 percent for the year to date compared to this point last year. Both Los Angeles and Long Beach saw a surge in volume during April, as overall seaborne import trade grew, according to Panjiva Research, a global trade data firm.
Observers had been closely watching cargo volumes last month for signs about how new alliances among shippers may impact where vessels call. Some analyst suggested with fewer shippers, competition among the ports would be fierce and could hurt cargo volumes at one of the ports. But with container box imports at Long Beach also up 16.5 percent during the same month, it’s tough to draw too many conclusions. “It’s far too early to figure out the impact of the alliances,” said Jock O’Connell, a trade economist with Beacon Economics. “As we have seen in Europe … things can move one way and the next month in an entirely different way.” Exports at the Los Angeles port jumped 9.4 percent and total loaded containers rose 8.6 percent.
