March container volumes rebound in Los Angeles/Long Beach

PierPass says volumes bounced back after falling in February.    PierPass, whose members are the 13 container terminals in the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach, said container volumes have rebounded this month. The terminal group said from March 2 through March 15, nearly 303,000 TEUs of import and export containers moved by truck into or out of its terminals, 46 percent more than the 207,000 from Feb. 2 through Feb. 15, and also 20 percent more than was moved in the same period in the first half of March 2014, 252,306. The number does not include containers moved by rail.
   “The terminals are intensely focused on returning to normal operations as quickly as possible,” said John Cushing, president of PierPass. “While much work remains to be done, we can report progress in accelerating cargo movement by mid-March.”
   PierPass made the announcement a day after California ports said they handled less cargo in February than they did in the same month last year.
   Los Angeles, Long Beach and Oakland — the largest container ports on the U.S. West Coast — all reported a downturn in volume, attributing the decline to congestion and reduced productivity at container terminals in the weeks leading up to the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and Pacific Maritime Association signing a tentative contract on Feb. 20.
   APM Terminals, which operates Pier 400 in the Port of Los Angeles worked three ultra-large container ships simultaneously, which was a first for any U.S. port, according to a statement from the terminal operator.
   “The handling of a combined 34,465 moves over nine days, including a two-day period in which all three were alongside, provides a glimpse into the future of US port operations as larger vessels cascade into US trade lanes,” APMT said.
   The 13,100 TEU capacity COSCO Harmony, at 367 meters in length and 48 meters wide, operating on COSCO’s South China-US Southwest Coast Express Service (SEA) registered 10,617 container moves. Two Mediterranean Shipping Company vessels, the 12,991 TEU capacity MSC Flavia, at 365.75 meters long and 48 meters wide, and the 13,119 TEU capacity MSC Renee, 366.45 meters long and 48.2 meters wide, were also alongside at the quay, accounting for 12,402 and 11,446 moves, respectively. The MSC Renee and MSC Flavia both operate as part of the 2M alliance between Mediterranean Shipping and Maersk Line on the Far East-US West Coast trade lane.
   “Our facility handled the first 13,000 TEU vessel to call the port of Los Angeles last summer, and now with three calling at once we have shown that we are more than able to keep pace with the changes in our industry, and the needs of our shipping line customers” said APM Terminals Pier 400, Managing Director, Steven Trombley.