Port of Long Beach cargo throughput slides 20 percent in February 2015
Cargo terminals in February at the Port of Long Beach moved 20.1 percent fewer containers than the same month last year due to congestion issues faced by all West Coast seaports, the company said in its press release.
A total of 413,114 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of containerized cargo were moved through the Port in February. Imports were recorded at 204,462 TEUs, a 24.7 percent decrease. Exports fell 22.9 percent to 110,711 TEUs. Empty containers saw a decline of 3.9 percent to 97,941 TEUs. With imports exceeding exports, empty containers are sent overseas to be refilled with goods.
The congestion issues that worsened in February played the biggest role in the cargo declines, just as they did in January, which had seen an 18.8 percent drop from the same month last year. However, the outlook is more promising. By the end of February, a tentative new contract for dockworkers was announced, federal regulators granted permission for Long Beach and its neighbor the Port of Los Angeles to collaborate on congestion relief, and private chassis fleets in the region agreed to pool their resources.
Last year, against which 2015 is being compared, was the third-busiest year in port history with a total of 6.82 million TEUs.
With an ongoing $4 billion program to modernize its facilities, the Port of Long Beach continues to invest in long-term, environmentally sustainable growth.
