Port of L.A. ups box volumes in March

The Southern California port saw a surge of cargo following Asian Lunar New Year celebrations and because U.S. retailers shipped merchandise ahead of the new vessel alliance deployments that began this month.    The Port of Los Angeles handled 788,524 TEUs in March, a 29 percent increase from the 612,863 TEUs handled in March 2016.
   The Southern California port said it experienced a post Lunar New Year surge of cargo from Asia, and also saw a boost from U.S. retailers shipping merchandise ahead of the new vessel alliance deployments that began this month.
   Loaded container volumes reached 565,321 TEUs, while empties totaled 223,203 TEUs.
   Of the loaded volumes, imports stood at 373,549 TEUs and exports reached 191,772 TEUs, year-over-year increases of 30 percent and 20 percent, respectively.
   Overall, for the first quarter of 2017, cargo has increased 10 percent compared to 2016.
   “We are pleased to end the first quarter of 2017 with strong volumes and continually efficient cargo handling operations,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said.
   In comparison, the Port of Long Beach handled 505,382 TEUs in March, with imports rising 20.2 percent year-over-year to 249,534 TEUs, while exports fell 5.3 percent to 120,435 TEUs.