Cargo volumes at the nation’s two top ports reflected a sharp contrast in August, with the Port of Los Angeles enjoying its second busiest month in history while its neighbor in Long Beach experienced a dip just as the holiday shipping season began.
The figures, a sign of business strength, do not reflect volumes since giant South Korean carrier Hanjin Shipping Co. filed for receivership that caused havoc at terminals around the world. Port officials hinted that next month’s volume might not be so rosy.
“Strong numbers on both our import and export cargo during the industry’s busiest season indicates confidence in our ability to meet supply chain expectations,” Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, said Thursday.
But Seroka said the collapse of Hanjin had a “pronounced” effect on goods movement.
Compared to the first eight months of last year, Los Angeles port volumes jumped 4.3 percent and Long Beach’s volume dropped 2.9 percent. That translates to the Port of Los Angeles moving 798,932 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs), an industry measure of cargo containers, while Long Beach handled 641,029 TEUs during the same period. Most containers hauled by trucks are equivalent to two TEUs. .
Both ports saw a jump in exports, with a 14.8 percent increase in Long Beach compared to August 2015 and a 6.3 percent rise in Los Angeles.
“While it is too soon to say whether the uptick in exports is part of a broader trend, it signals that the U.S. export sector continues to ship goods and raw materials abroad despite a strong U.S. dollar,” said Noel Hacegaba, chief commercial officer at the Port of Long Beach.
Long Beach’s top five exports are waste paper, foods and beverages, agricultural products, metals, plastic and rubber products.
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