PORT OF LOS ANGELES MAY CONTAINER VOLUME DIPS

PORT OF LOS ANGELES MAY CONTAINER VOLUME DIPS    The Port of Los Angeles said its May container volumes dipped 2 percent below the earlier period, due to a double-digit drop in empty containers handled.
   The port actually posted a 1.7-percent increase in loaded containers, to 290,565 TEUs. Loaded import boxes fell 0.5 percent to 203,242 TEUs, while loaded export containers climbed 7.0 percent to 87,324 TEUs.
   Empty containers handled dropped 10.5 percent to 109,446.
   Larry A. Keller, port executive director, said that while May 2001 volumes were marginal when compared to 2000, the totals marked a 22.5-percent increase over May 1999.
   '2000 was an incredible year,' Keller said. 'No one expected that pace to continue.'
   Through 11 months of its fiscal year, ending June 30, the port has handled just under 4.6 million TEUs, up 15.3 percent over the previous fiscal year. For its calendar year, the port's volume is up 4.2 percent to 1.95 million TEUs.
   The Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners recently adopted its fiscal 2001/2002 budget. The $615.5-million budget, a 17-percent increase over fiscal 2000/2001, includes a capital budget of $564.5 million, up 106 percent.
   The capital projects include the first phase of Pier 4000, which Maersk Sealand is scheduled to move into in mid-July 2001. Other projects include the main channel deepening project, a new container terminal in the West Basin for Chinia Shipping Co., and several terminal redevelopment projects.