Overall container volume reached 731,352 TEUs at the Port
of Los Angeles last month, which not only was a 5.5 percent increase compared to
May 2011’s 692,933 TEUs, but also set a record for the busiest May in port history.
LA’s numbers last month surpassed May 2006 volumes of 695,953
TEUs to set the high mark, according to newly released port data. LA also recorded
the strongest April in its history last month.
The port’s number of loaded inbound containers increased by
2.7 percent last month, rising from 360,969 TEUs in May 2011 to 370,721 TEUs this
past May, according to the data. Exports increased 0.45 percent, increasing slightly
from 184,274 TEUs in April 2011 to 185,107 TEUs in April 2012.
Combined, total loaded imports and exports for May 2012 increased
1.9 percent from the same month last year, rising from 545,243 TEUs to 555,829.
The number of empty containers that moved through the port
last month, both imports and exports, jumped 18.8 percent compared to the same month
last year, rising from about 147,690 TEUs to 175,523.
For the first five months of the calendar year, overall container
volumes have increased 5.98 percent at the port to 3.31 million TEUs compared to
the same period in 2011, during which 3.12 million TEUs were moved.
For the fiscal year, which began July 1, traffic volume is
up 2.3 percent, rising from 7.29 million TEUs to 7.48 million, according to port
figures.
