By Mark Edward Nero
Container cargo volume dipped in June at the Port of Long Beach, decreasing 4.4 percent compared to the same month last year, according to newly released data.
A total of 583,621 TEUs were moved through the port last month, according to the data.
Imports were recorded at 297,189 TEUs, a six percent decrease from June 2014, while exports dropped 8.4 percent to 128,223 TEUs. However, the number of empty containers being sent back overseas to be refilled with consumer goods rose 2.4 percent with 158,209 TEUs.
June 2014, the month against which last month is being compared, was a particularly busy time for the port, as shippers were preparing for the then-upcoming expiration of the longshore labor contract.
Through the first six months of calendar year 2015, Long Beach cargo numbers are essentially flat compared to the same period last year, up 0.1 percent overall. For the fiscal year to date, which began Oct. 1, container volumes are flat, with the port moving 5.03 million containers so far, virtually the same as the same nine-month period as in FY 2014.
Container volumes at California’s other two major container seaports, those in Los Angeles and Oakland, were down two percent and one percent respectively, in June.
The latest monthly Port of Long Beach cargo numbers and historical data are available at
www.polb.com/stats.