Renewed activity at the Port of Long Beach’s largest terminal and extra ships calling ahead of the Lunar New Year pushed cargo 8.7 percent higher in January compared to the same month a year ago, the company said in its press release.
Dockworkers moved 582,689 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) last month. Exports were strong, jumping 10.8 percent year-over-year to 118,234 containers. Imports increased 7.4 percent to 298,990 TEUs, while empties sent back to the Far East rose 9.6 percent to 165,465.
Growth at terminals was led by the Port’s Pier T terminal, operated by Total Terminals International (TTI). The terminal is now controlled by Terminal Investment Limited (TIL), a subsidiary of Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC), the world’s second-largest ocean carrier. MSC’s TIL purchased a majority stake in the terminal following the bankruptcy of Hanjin Shipping last year.
The month’s total container traffic growth was notable since TEU traffic in January 2016 jumped 25 percent from the same month in 2015.
The Port of Long Beach is one of the world’s premier seaports, a gateway for trans-Pacific trade and a trailblazer in goods movement and environmental stewardship. With 175 shipping lines connecting Long Beach to 217 seaports, the Port handles $180 billion in trade annually, supporting hundreds of thousands of Southern California jobs.