Port of L.A. sees container decline

Container volume would have been worse had it not been for the transport of empties.    The Port of Los Angeles reported a 3-percent decrease in container volume last month compared to a year ago. Total cargo for November was 663,346 TEUs.
   November has been a weak month for all of California’s major ports.
   The L.A. figures would have been worse if not for empties. The volume of loaded containers fell 7.2 percent, while empties increased 10.6 percent from November 2013.
   Year-to-date, container throughput has increased 6.5 percent to 7.68 million TEUs.
   The port authority said imports decreased 2.7 percent to 333,153 TEUs, compared to November 2013, while exports declined 16 percent to 150,568 TEUs. U.S. exports, overall, are down slightly due to the strong dollar, which makes U.S. goods more expensive.
   Empties were also the story at the neighboring port of Long Beach.
   Cargo volume there grew 2.1 percent in November to 581,514 TEUs on the strength of a 30.2 percent jump in empty containers handled (157,570), according to the port authority. Loaded import containers declined 0.9 percent and loaded exports fell 14.5 percent.
   The growth in empty containers has a lot to do with the congestion gripping ports, which is delaying the flow of cargo and creating a shortage of containers in Asia to loaded cargo destined for the United States, Port of Long Beach spokesman Art Wong explained.
   The port delays are adding to the time it takes to get loaded export containers into the terminals and on vessels, so carriers are just sending empties back as fast as they can, he said.
   American exporters, especially in the farm industry, are complaining they can’t get enough equipment to ship products in the midst of the harvest season. That, along with the delays, is hurting business because deliveries for overseas orders are being missed and sometimes canceled by foreign buyers.
   Cargo numbers were flat in October and November at Long Beach in part because retailers pre-shipped goods early for the holiday season to avoid potential disruption associated with the ongoing labor negotiations with West Coast longshoremen. Some shippers have also diverted cargo in recent months, as congestion has worsened at Long Beach and the Port of Los Angeles.
   Year-to-date, cargo volume at the Port of Long Beach is up 1.7 percent on the strength of 7.9-percent growth in empties. Imports have only moved the needle 2.4 percent, and exports are down 5.4 percent. 
   Containerized cargo volume at the Port of Oakland dipped 1 percent in November to 193,115 TEUs, primarily due to a 12-percent fall in loaded exports to 78,239 TEUs, according to statistics released Monday.
   Overall volume at the port has grown 1.5 percent to 2.2 million TEUs so far this year, while exports have declined 4 percent.
   Export of empties soared 58 percent to more than 24,000 TEUs in November.