Port of Long Beach posts 7.7% drop in container volumes

The Southern California port attributed its 7.7 percent year-over-year drop in container volumes in July to high inventory levels and a slow start to the peak season.    Container volumes at the Port of Long Beach fell 7.7 percent in July compared to the same month in 2015 when harbor terminals handled a record amount of cargo.
   Dockworkers moved 637,091 TEUs last month. Inbound containers totaled 325,608 TEUs, a 5.9 percent year-over-year decrease. Outbound containers reached 142,812 TEUs, a slight drop of 0.7 percent from July 2015. Empties decreased to 168,671 TEUs, 15.9 percent lower than July 2015, the port’s strongest July on record.
   “Due to continued market uncertainty and high inventory levels, the traditional holiday peak season is off to a slow start and several national forecasts have been revised downward to reflect this softness in cargo movement,” the port said.
   Overall, the Port of Long Beach is frequented by 19 fully cellular container services that connect the port to other regions outside of the U.S. West Coast, 12 of which link the port to Asia, according to ocean carrier schedule and capacity database BlueWater Reporting’s Port Dashboard tool.