By Mark Edward Nero
The Port of Long Beach’s overall cargo volume saw growth of
just two percent in November 2014 compared to the same month last year, but the
modest rise was enough to mark the busiest November since 2007.
According to data released Dec. 16 by the port, a total of
581,514 TEUs moved through port terminals in November, compared to 569,999 TEUs
in November 2013. The rise is primarily due to a surge in empty containers imported
and exported during the month. Long Beach moved 157,570 empty TEUs in November,
an increase of 30.2 percent.
However, exports saw a 14.5 percent decrease to 129,960
TEUs, while imports were recorded at 293,984 TEUs, down 0.9 percent from last
year.
The overall result is that cargo numbers were flat in
November at the port, something that Long Beach says is attributable to retailers
having shipped the majority of their goods for the year in early autumn to be
prepared for the busy holiday shopping season that’s currently underway.
Last year, against which 2014 is being compared, was the
third-busiest year in port history with a total of 6.73 million TEUs. Through the
first 11 months of the calendar year, the port saw a 1.7 percent increase in
cargo.
For the fiscal year to date, the port has seen just 1.16
million TEUs, compared to 1.14 million during the same period in FY 2013,
representing a 1.6 percent increase in traffic during the period, which began
Oct. 1.
