The Port of Los Angeles saw a 28 percent increase in loaded outbound cargo containers in October over the same month last year, according to new data. Imports also rose last month, increasing by five percent compared with October 2010.
Broken down, the number of full containers exported was 193,547, an increase of almost 42,500 over October 2010. The number of loaded inbound containers last month was 368,842, an increase of about 19,300, or 5.5 percent, over the same month last year.
The complete number of loaded containers imported and exported during the month was 562,390, a 12.3 percent increase over October 2010. The number of empty containers however, fell to 150,195 last month from 181,790 during the same month last year, a decrease of over 17 percent.
Total container traffic during the month amounted to a 4.4 percent year-over-year rise, to 712,586 TEUs from October 2010’s 682,384.
During the first 10 months of the calendar year, TEU traffic has risen at the Port of LA by just 44,653 containers, or 0.6 percent.
Although the import numbers remain weak, the port’s October exports total was the highest of the calendar year so far. It’s being attributed in part to an increase in demand of a number of products that California is known for growing, manufacturing and exporting, such as agricultural goods, raw metals, electrical equipment and computers.