By Mark Edward Nero
September 2015 container volumes at the Port of Los Angeles were down nearly six percent compared to the same period last year, according to data released by the port Oct. 15.
Although the POLA handled a total of 730,306 TEUs last month, it was still down 5.8 percent from the same month last year. September 2014 was among the strongest months for container shipping in the port’s history.
“While we fell short of last September's exceptional volume of 775,000 TEUs, I’m encouraged by the productivity our terminals and supply chain partners have demonstrated over the past six months,” Port of Los Angeles Director Gene Seroka said in a statement. “We are experiencing a consistent pattern of larger ships and more efficient cargo conveyance at volumes that are market leading.”
Imports decreased last month by 9.4 percent to 383,963 TEUs in September 2015 and exports declined 17.5 percent to 124,286 TEUs. The number of empty containers moved during the month increased 9.4 percent during the month however, with the empty containers going mostly overseas to be filled with goods coming to the U.S. in preparation to be sold during the holiday season.
For the first nine months of 2015, the overall container volume of 6.11 million TEUs represents a 2.9 percent drop compared to the same period in 2014.
For the fiscal year, which began July 1, volumes are down 1.5 percent compared to the same three months in the previous fiscal year.
Current and past data container counts for the Port of Los Angeles may be found at: http://www.portoflosangeles.org/maritime/stats.asp.
