Cargo volumes at the Port of Long Beach rose six percent in May 2015, making it the third consecutive month of growth, as well as the busiest month since October 2007 and the busiest May since 2006, according to newly released data.
A total of 635,250 TEUs of containerized cargo were moved through the port in May, according to the data, with imports numbered at 327,317 TEUs, a 4.8 percent increase from the same month last year.
Exports, on the other hand, decreased 7.4 percent to 135,855 TEUs, while the number of empty containers moved rose 22.6 percent to 172,078 TEUs.
Through the first five months of 2015, cargo is up 1.1 percent overall. For the current fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, volumes are up 0.8 percent so far, even though the number of loaded inbound containers moved was down 14 percent compared to the same eight-month period in the previous fiscal year.
The port partially attributes the rise in cargo volume to a stronger retail market. The port also says it is also attracting new services in order to boost cargo growth.
The latest monthly cargo numbers are available at http://www.polb.com/economics/stats/latest_teus.asp and more details on the numbers can be found at www.polb.com/stats.
