Port of LA reports second busiest month in its history

Last month’s gains in container traffic came during the port’s peak season, the period in late summer and early fall when containerized imports typically rise as U.S. retailers stock up for back-to-school and holiday sales.    Container volumes at the Port of Los Angeles last month were the highest of any August ever at the port, as well as second-highest of any month in the port’s 110-year history, according to newly released data.
   Nearly 848,000 TEUs moved through the Southern California seaport last month, a rise of 6.1 percent compared to August 2016 volumes, marking the busiest month of August in port history. Previously, the biggest August in port history was in 2016, when LA port terminals handled 798,932 TEUs. The Port of LA’s busiest month on record ever was November 2016, when 877,564 TEUs came across its docks.
   Last month’s gains came during the port’s peak season, the period in late summer/early fall when containerized imports typically rise as U.S. retailers stock up for back-to-school and holiday sales.
   According to the Port of LA, loaded imports flowing through its terminals in August rose 5.1 percent year-over-year to 432,479 TEUs, while loaded exports rose four percent to 159,197 TEUs. Along with a 9.2 increase in empty containers, overall August container volumes totaled 847,857 TEUs.
   Through the first eight months of the calendar year, total cargo volumes amounted to 6,127,209 TEUs at the Port of LA, an increase of nine percent compared to the same period in 2016. Last year, the port handled a record 8.8 million TEUs during the calendar year.
   “We are grateful to our terminal operators, labor force, supply chain stakeholders and our cargo owners for the record-breaking container volume trend we have been experiencing over the past 20 months,” Port of LA Executive Director Gene Seroka said in a statement. “We plan to build on this momentum and confidence by focusing on innovative new ways to improve efficiencies, including a first-of-its kind information portal system with GE Transportation that will be introduced at all of our container terminals in the coming months.”