The Port of Long Beach achieved its most active April, continuing a streak of single-month records set in 2022, according to the company's release.
Dockworkers and terminal operators moved 820,718 twenty-foot equivalent units of container cargo last month, up 10% from the previous record set in April 2021. Imports rose 9.2% to 400,803 TEUs, while exports were down 1.8% to 121,876 TEUs. Empty containers moved through the Port increased 16.9% to 298,039 TEUs.
The Port has withheld the start of a “Container Dwell Fee” that would charge ocean carriers for containers that remain too long on the docks. The San Pedro Bay ports – Long Beach and Los Angeles combined – have seen a 50% decline in aging cargo on the docks since the program was announced on Oct. 25.
Shippers are anticipated to be busier than usual when pandemic-induced shutdowns are eventually lifted across China. Additionally, retail activity is leveling out due to inflation, but consumers are reshuffling their household budgets to allow for more spending on entertainment, restaurants and other in-person services.
The Port has moved 3,281,377 TEUs during the first four months of 2022, a 5.1% increase from the same period in 2021.
The Port of Long Beach is one of the world’s premier seaports. As the second-busiest container seaport in the United States, the Port handles trade valued at more than $200 billion annually and supports 2.6 million trade-related jobs across the nation, including 575,000 in Southern California.