[ October Container Volume Increases 10 Percent at Lon... ]

October Container Volume Increases 10 Percent at Long Beach

Driven by a modest gain in imports, cargo container volume rose 10.3 p
ercent in October compared with the same month a year ago at the Port
of Long Beach.
The equivalent of 347,462 20-foot-long cargo containers was shipped th
rough Long Beach in October. The October total was short of the totals
between June and September. Typically, September and October, with th
eir flood of Christmas imports, are the port’s business months. This
year’s busiest month was July with a record 378,714 20-foot equivalen
t units.
“It looks like business were shipping a little earlier this year,” s
aid Don Wylie, the port’s and maritime services director. “Now in Oc
tober, we’re seeing the downside of the peak season.”
Imported containeers increased to 180,719 TEUs in October, a 6 percent
gain over October 1997. Export containers fell to 77,171 TEUs, an 11.
4 percent decline from a year ago. October’s exports were an improvem
ent over September’s 73,784 TEUs, marking the first month-to-month ga
in in exports since March. The number of empty containers in October r
ose 54.8 percent to 89,572 TEUs.
Many importers apparently began shipping their fall cargoes in the spr
ing, fearing a repeat of last year’s railroad congestion. The shippin
g lines, terminal operators, railroads and port took preventive measur
es, however, so there has been no congestion this year.