Port of Long Beach posts third-best monthly container volumes ever

Terminals at the Port of Long Beach handled 692,375 TEUs of containerized cargo in August 2017, an 8 percent improvement from 641,029 TEUs in the same month a year ago, according to recent data from the Southern California port.    Port of Long Beach terminals processed over 690,000 TEUs in August, 8 percent more than in the same month last year, making it the second-busiest August in the port’s history and the third-highest container volume ever for any month, according to newly released data from the port.
   The Southern California port handled 692,375 TEUs last month compared to 641,029 TEUs in August 2016.
   “The modest economic growth we’ve seen since the Great Recession has been replaced this year by robust gains, at least when measured by goods coming into the United States,” Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero said in a prepared statement. “Shippers are choosing Long Beach for that.”
   Imports in August surged 10.6 percent to 355,715 TEUs compared to the previous year, making for the third-highest monthly import total in the port’s 106-year history.
   Meanwhile, exports trended downward, with 117,290 outbound TEUs loaded onto ships, a 26.3 percent decrease due primarily to shifts in vessel alliances, according to the port. Exports of empty containers, mostly headed back to Asia to be refilled with goods, climbed 37 percent year-over-year to 219,370 TEUs.
   Through the first eight months of 2017, total cargo volumes are up 6.6 percent from the same 2016 period, according to port statistics.
   “We are on pace to have our highest import year ever and one of our best years, period,” Harbor Commission President Lou Anne Bynum said. “Our inbound traffic during this peak season signifies optimism among retailers for the holiday season. Simply put, shoppers are buying more, and retailers are restocking their shelves.”