LOS ANGELES: Cargo traffic at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach shot up dramatically in March compared to the same month last year, following a slow start this year as the twin ports struggled with congestion and a labor dispute.
Figures released Thursday show cargo volume increased 32 percent at the Port of Long Beach over March 2014, and 17.3 percent at the Port of Los Angeles.
Officials in Los Angeles said cargo volumes in March ranked the second-highest in the port’s history, with 800,063 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units, or TEUs, moved. The last time there was more activity was in October 2006.
March was the busiest month for containerized cargo in Long Beach since August 2013, with 630,084 TEUs moved, port officials said.
However, port volumes over the first three months of the year were 5 percent behind the activity from the same stretch last year in Los Angeles, and 3.3 percent down in Long Beach, officials said.
Port of Executive Director Gene Seroka said last month’s “volumes were robust as our terminals worked aggressively to clear out the backlog of vessels.”
“The number of ships waiting at anchor has reduced significantly, labor levels are strong and our container terminals are extremely active,” Seroka said. “We continue to work on a series of initiatives to improve efficiencies throughout the supply chain.”
He said the Los Angeles port and the Port of Long Beach will meet with “stakeholders to discuss additional solutions to further optimize the San Pedro Bay supply chain.”
The stronger port activity follow months of congestion created by larger ships delivering bigger loads and exacerbated by contentious labor talks that did not get resolved until February. Alliances created between shipping companies had also complicated the flow of goods at the ports, port officials said.
Imports in March were up 31.5 percent to 480,898 TEUs from 327,497 TEUs last year, while exports were down 22.5 percent to 145,536 TEUs, from 187,826 TEUs last year.
Loaded imports and exports together were up 11.86 percent. The inclusion of empty containers results in a 17.3 percent increase in volumes during March.
