Inbound box traffic down again in L.A.

Inbound box traffic down again in L.A.    The port of Los Angeles reported another month of declining container traffic for October, with inbound loaded box volumes for that month down 5 percent to about 347,000 TEUs.
   This follows September’s 7-percent drop in inbound loaded traffic to 318,722 TEUs and reflects the diversion of cargo and ships away from the congested port.
   The latest Los Angeles statistics also contrast with figures showing that the neighboring port of Long Beach increased its inbound container traffic by 25 percent year-on-year in October, when it handled 288,590 TEUs.
   Los Angeles also saw its outbound loaded box traffic fall 2 percent to about 91,000 TEUs in October. Empty containers handled by the port in October totaled about 204,000 TEUs, a decrease of 4 percent on October 2003.
   Total box traffic at Los Angeles decreased 4 percent to about 643,000 TEUs in October.
   The combined container traffic of Los Angeles and Long Beach for October totaled 1.2 million TEUs, up 8 percent from the same month a year earlier.