Port of Long Beach’s box volumes sink in February

The port attributed the 11.2 percent year-over-year decline in February’s container volumes to reduced economic activity in Asia associated with the Lunar New Year.    The Port of Long Beach saw February box volumes tumble 11.2 percent year-over-year to 498,311 TEUs, which is said was driven down by reduced economic activity in Asia associated with the Lunar New Year.
   “The Lunar New Year holiday began Jan. 28, almost two weeks earlier than in 2016,” the port said Wednesday. “The Lunar New Year typically results in slower trade since businesses in China – the world’s No. 2 economy and the port’s primary trading partner – close for a week or more to observe the holiday. The impact on the port is seen two weeks afterwards, accounting for the time it takes vessels to cross the Pacific.”
   In addition, February 2016 was the highest-volume February in the port’s history.
   Overall, loaded import containers at the Port of Long Beach this February reached 249,759 TEUs, while loaded export containers totaled 119,811 TEUs, year-over-year declines of 15.6 percent and 2.6 percent, respectively. Empty container volumes tumbled 9.7 percent year-over-year to 128,742 TEUs.
   According to ocean carrier schedule and capacity database BlueWater Reporting’s Port Dashboard tool, the Port of Long Beach is called by 21 liner services – 15 that deploy fully cellular containerships, two that deploy multi-purpose vessels, and four that deploy either roll-on/roll-off vessels or pure car/truck carriers.