Port of Long Beach cargo volumes bounce back in October

Port of Long Beach

Giving a boost to the peak season when retailers typically stock up for holiday shoppers, container volumes at the Port  of Long Beach rose in October, with imports up 15.2%.

Port terminals handled 276,698 TEU of loaded inbound cargo last month compared to 240,248 TEU in October 2011. For the period between August and October, imports were up 6% in 2012 at the Port  of Long Beach compared to the same period last year.

Exports rose as well, from 118,325 TEU in October 2011 to 133,503 TEU  last month, an increase of 12.8%. Overall container volume at the port rose by 8.7% last month compared to the same period a year ago. Empty container volumes declined by 7% from October 2011 to 120,112 TEU. With imports exceeding exports, empty containers are sent overseas to be refilled with goods.

For the calendar year, overall container volumes at the port are down 3.2% through October. Imports are down 2.2% and exports are flat compared to the same period a year ago.

The Port of Long Beach continues to invest long term. It is two years into a decade-long, $4.5 billion program to upgrade its facilities. < Korea Shipping Gazette >