WASHINGTON: Imports picked up in November at the nation’s second-largest port in Long Beach, Calif., marking a partial rebound following lackluster performance during the traditional peak shipping months of September and October.
The Port of Long Beach said it handled 306,654 full import containers in November, up 4.3% over the same month last year. It was the best November for imports at Long Beach since 2007.
Long Beach and the neighboring port of Los Angeles constitute the main entry point for goods coming from Asian manufacturers. It’s the first major U.S. port to report November volumes.
Earlier this week, the National Retail Federation estimated November 2015 import volumes at the nation’s major container ports would exceed last November’s volume by 7.4%, and that imports would rise 5.5% over the full year. Long Beach handled fewer exports in November, moving just 124,717 full outbound containers, down 4% from last November. For the year to date, exports are down 5% at Long Beach.
The weak dollar and sluggish growth abroad have curttailed U.S. exports, causing Long Beach and other ports are moving more outbound empty containers back to Asia. In November, Long Beach handled 188,328 empty containers–an increase of 19.5% over the same month last year, and the ninth straight month of year-over-year increases.
