Inbound traffic up 22 percent at port of Long Beach

Inbound traffic up 22 percent at port of Long Beach    Inbound loaded containers discharged at the port of Long Beach increased 22 percent to 281,817 TEUs in July compared to the same month in 2003, providing further evidence of the ongoing strength of the eastbound transpacific trade.
   For the first seven months of the year, inbound loaded volume was up 20 percent in Long Beach, reaching 1.6 million TEUs.
   In July, outbound loaded container traffic rose 2 percent to 82,441 TEUs, while the number of empty containers soared 40 percent to 165,405 TEUs. Total port traffic for July was 529,663 TEUs, up 23 percent and a new monthly record for the California port.
   The port of Los Angeles, which handles higher volumes than Long Beach, has not yet reported its July container traffic statistics.
   The transpacific traffic from Asia to all U.S. West Coast ports reportedly increased 15 percent in the first half of the year to 3.8 million TEUs.