A sharp drop in imports and empty containers handled in June led the Port of Los Angeles to its first down month of the year.
The port moved a total of 640,795 TEUs in June, a 7.5 percent drop over May and a 12.3 percent drop over June of last year.
In the import column, the port handled a total of 333,894 loaded inbound TEUs in June, a 7.5 percent drop from the previous month of May and a 10.2 percent decline compared to June of 2010.
On the export side of the ledger, the port handled a total of 163,137 loaded outbound TEUs in June, an 11.5 percent drop over May, but a 5.5 percent increase over loaded outbound numbers in June of last year.
A sharp drop off in the number of empties heading in and out of the port was a main factor in taking the wind out of the port's sails during June. Empties were down 29.5 percent compared to the year-ago period.
Despite the down numbers for the month, the port--which remains the busiest container complex in the Western Hemisphere--is still holding onto positive territory for the calendar year. The port has handled a total of 3,767,227 TEUs since the start of the year, a 2.8 percent increase over the first six months of 2010.