POLB posts 2nd highest June volumes in its history

The number of twenty-foot equivalent units that passed through Port of Long Beach terminals was up 9.2 percent last month compared to June 2016, according to the latest data from the Southern California port.

   The Port of Long Beach saw over 658,000 TEUs of containerized cargo move across its docks last month, making it the second-best June in history when it comes to container volumes, the port revealed Monday.
   The number of twenty-foot equivalent units that passed through Southern California port’s terminals in June jumped 9.2 percent compared to the same month last year, according to port data. For June, imports grew 7 percent to 335,328 TEUs, while exports fell 7.7 percent, to 118,304 TEUs.
   However, the number of empty containers shipped rose 26.8 percent, to 205,095 TEUs. It was this that helped put the port in the black as far as its total number of TEUs moved during the month.
   “These are good results as we move into the busiest trade months of the year,” Harbor Commission President Lori Ann Guzmán said. “The U.S. dollar remains strong and retailers are stocking back-to-school merchandise and other goods American consumers are purchasing.”
   During Q2 of this year, the port said it saw almost 1.9 million TEUs, an 8.3 percent year-over-year increase in quarterly volume.
   “Our customers know we work hard to efficiently deliver their cargo,” said Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero. “It’s good to see this evidence of their confidence in our Port – we are committed to providing the absolute best service in the country.”
   Through the first half of 2017, container throughput has grown 5.1 percent compared to the same 2016 period. Dockworkers have moved almost 3.5 million TEUs this calendar year. However, for the fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, the TEU numbers are down 0.1 percent, falling from 5.12 million TEUs to 5.11 million TEUs during the nine-month stretch.