Cargo volume continues to break records at the Port of Long Beach, which moved more containers last month than any September in its history, the company said in its press release.
The 701,619 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) processed in Long Beach for September — up 28.3 percent — also resulted in the Port’s best quarter ever. In the third quarter (July, August and September), the Port of Long Beach handled 2,114,306 TEUs, as volumes swelled 15.9 percent over the same period last year.
Imports increased 29.5 percent in September to 366,298 TEUs. Exports rose 4.1 percent, to 125,336 containers. Empty containers moving out of Long Beach to be refilled with goods overseas totaled 209,985 TEUs, up 46.4 percent. The huge jump in cargo last month relative to a year ago is only partly due to the Hanjin bankruptcy that hit West Coast ports in September 2016.
Volumes have been strong throughout the summer with 9 percent gains in June, 13 percent increases in July and an 8 percent improvement in August. July was the Port’s busiest month ever, and now September is the third-busiest ever. For the calendar year, container volumes have surged 8.9 percent.