By Mark Edward Nero
Cargo container numbers rose 1.1 percent overall at the Port of Long Beach in October, compared to the same month last year, with the port saying that congestion issues likely nudged some shipments into November.
Despite the small monthly increase however, port data released this week show that Long Beach had its busiest October since 2010, due mostly to a rise in imports.
A total of 583,009 20-foot equivalent units moved through Long Beach Harbor in October, with imports numbered at 310,482 TEUs, up 4.1 percent from October 2013. Exports saw a decline of 14.9 percent to 120,445 TEUs, while empty containers jumped 11.2 percent to 152,082 TEUs.
Last month’s volumes came at the end of Long Beach’s three month peak shipping period, which is generally the busiest time of year for the port, largely due to imports arriving for the holiday shopping season.
However, the port says that congestion issues which have hit many ports on the U.S. West Coast this year have likely pushed some of the peak season shipments into November.
For the first 10 months of the year, Long Beach is up 1.7 percent overall, compared to the same period last year.
October was the first month of the Port of Long Beach’s 2014-2015 fiscal year, which runs through Sept. 30.
More details on the POLB’s cargo numbers can be found at www.polb.com/stats.