Port of Long Beach handled 600,940 container cargoes in October

During this season to be jolly, terminal operators at the Port of Long Beach reported that they moved 600,940 container cargo units in October, up 7.8 percent over the same month a year ago.

The last of the holiday imports climbed 3.7 percent to the equivalent of 299,203 twenty-foot-long container units. October is generally the final month of the three-month-long peak shipping season, when most imports come in for the end-of-the-year holidays. Leading imports include consumer electronics, home furnishings, toys, clothing and shoes.

Exports jumped 20.5 percent to 103,422 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). With strong demand in Asia for U.S. raw materials, exports have increased 20 percent or more for seven straight months, compared with the same month a year ago.

Despite the export gains, there remains a wide trade imbalance. The number of empty containers, nearly all headed overseas to be re-filled with products, rose 8.2 percent to 198,315 TEUs.