Three West Coast ports have reported higher cargo volumes in May compared with a year earlier. The Port of Los Angeles said its May cargo volume edged up 0.8% last month to 694,791 20-foot equivalent units.
The nation’s largest container port said imports slipped 0.8% to 348,427 TEUs and exports declined 3.5% to 152,917 last month, but empty container movements increased 7.9%.
The Port of Los Angeles said it handled 3.18 million TEUs during the first five months of 2015, down 4% from the same period in 2014. Container trade at the neighboring Port of Long Beach rose 6% to 635,250 TEUs, according to the port’s preliminary estimates.
Loaded inbound volume increased 4.8% to 327,317 units, but loaded outbound units fell 7.4% to 135,855. Empty units surged 22.6% to 172,078. For its fiscal year to date, the Port of Long Beach said it has handled 4,454,558 TEUs since Oct. 1, which is 0.8% ahead of the previous year’s pace.
Meanwhile, the Port of Oakland, California, also reported higher activity in May, with volumes rising 3.8% to 213,260 TEUs. Loaded container imports rose 4.5% to 78,902 TEUs, while exports fell 5.6% to 79,890. The Port of Oakland said its year-to-date volumes have declined 9% to 883,829 TEUs.
