Posting the largest single-year gain in total container volume in its history, the Port of Long Beach handled nearly 24 percent more containers in 2010 than the previous year, boosted by 12-solid months of growth in both import and export volumes. The year-end numbers also cemented Long Beach's status as the second busiest container port in the Western Hemisphere for 2010.
During 2010, the port handled a total of 6.3 million TEUs, a 23.6 percent jump over end-of-the-year numbers in 2009. In total, the port handled 1.2 million more containers in 2010 than it did in 2009, the largest single-year gain since the port began tracking TEU numbers in 1971.
Loaded inbound volumes rose 23.4 percent in 2010 to 3,128,860 TEUs, and loaded outbound volumes were up 15.6 percent to 1,562,398 TEUs.
Ending the calendar year, the port handled 523,311 TEUs in the month of December 2010, a 12 percent increase compared to December 2009, and the port's thirteenth consecutive month of gains. Port officials reported handling 256,889 loaded inbound TEUs in December 2010, a 10.4 percent increase over the year ago period. Total loaded outbound containers were up 14.7 percent in December 2010, to 141,140 TEUs.
“This was a tremendous rebound, and happened much faster than predicted,” said Port of Long Beach Executive Director Richard D. Steinke. “Best of all, the additional cargo has brought back thousands of port-related jobs throughout the supply chain – and we’re very optimistic that the job growth in this industry will continue in 2011.”
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
