SoCal ports box volumes tumble

SoCal ports box volumes tumble The Southern California ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, the nation's two busiest container ports, both reported double-digit declines in loaded cargo volumes for November.
   Long Beach officials reported that November's total loaded container volume was off 16.8 percent. Loaded inbound containers were down 13.6 percent to 267,840 TEUs, compared to November 2007. Loaded outbound containers dropped 23.6 percent to 109,850 TEUs. Total container volumes, including inbound, outbound and empty boxes, fell 8.9 percent to 557,459 TEUs.
   The neighboring Port of Los Angeles reported total loaded volumes for the month off 10.6 percent for November. Loaded inbound containers dipped 9.7 percent to 338,905 TEUs. Loaded outbound containers through the port fell 12.8 percent to 126,602 TEUs. Total November container volume, including empties, was 660,046 TEUs, a 10.4 percent decline over last November.
   Both ports continue to report calendar year-to-date numbers well below last year.
   Long Beach port handled 6.06 million TEUs through November, a 10.1 percent decline over the first 11 months of 2007. Using an average of monthly totals the past four Decembers, Long Beach is estimated to end the year at 6.6 million TEUs, a 10.4 percent decline over 2007.
   Los Angeles port has handled 7.3 million TEUs, a 5.3 percent decline over the January-to-November period last year. The port is projected to end the year at 7.9 million TEUs, a 5.1 percent decline compared to 2007.