The Southern California ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles both reported double digit declines in cargo volumes for 2009, despite sizable upticks in cargo volumes for the month of December.
According to calendar year-end numbers released Wednesday, the Port of Long Beach handled 5,067,597 TEUs in 2009, a decline of 21.9 percent compared to 2008. As part of the year-end numbers the port also reported a 20.5 percent decline in loaded inbound boxes for 2009 and a 19.9 percent drop in loaded boxes.
The neighboring Port of Los Angeles ended 2009 with 6,748,994 TEUs handled, a 14 percent decline over 2008 volumes. Loaded inbound box volume also dipped 14.9 percent for the year with loaded outbound box volumes falling 6.4 percent.
The monthly numbers for December, however, were much better for both ports. The Port of Long Beach handled 467,237 TEUs in December, up 8.7 percent compared to December 2008. Loaded inbound box volumes during December rose 13.4 percent to 232,586 TEUs and loaded outbounds also rose 30.9 percent to end the month at 123,084 TEUs.
The Port of Los Angeles reported total box volume for December of 562,989 TEUs, up 0.35 percent over the year-ago period. Loaded inbound box volume ended the month at 283,364 TEUs, down 4.4 percent compared to December 2008. On the other end of the spectrum, loaded outbound box volumes jumped 40.2 percent compared to December 2008 to end the month at 153,836 TEUs.
