Cargo volume declined at the Port of Long Beach in February due to fewer ship calls amid the overseas outbreak of the coronavirus and lingering effects of the trade dispute with China, the company said in its release.
Terminal operators and dockworkers moved 538,428 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) last month, down 9.8% compared to February 2019. Imports dropped 17.9% to 248,592 TEUs, while exports increased 19.3% to 125,559 TEUs. Empty containers sent overseas decreased 12.8% to 164,277 TEUs.
Although a Phase 1 preliminary trade agreement was signed in January by the United States and China, about $370 billion in Chinese goods remain under the increased tariffs.
The coronavirus has caused further disruption to the supply chain with an increase in canceled sailings and a reduction in cargo moving through the nation’s second-busiest port.