Tuesday, November 17, 2015

POLA Monthly Container Volumes Flat

By Mark Edward Nero

October 2015 container volumes at the Port of Los Angeles decreased 1.5 percent compared to the same period last year. According to newly released data, the port handled a total of 704,588 TEUs last month.

“This October’s volumes were slightly less than last October,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka explained. “However, the past few months of volumes around and above the 700,000 TEU range show that our terminals, labor and supply chain partners are adjusting to the cargo surges and other fluctuations that come with the larger vessels that are now calling in LA.”

Imports decreased 3.3 percent to 358,601 TEUs last month compared to October 2014, and exports dropped 14.7 percent to 134,963 TEUs in October. Factoring in empties, which increased 13.1 percent, overall October volumes of 704,588 decreased 1.5 percent compared to October 2014.

By comparison, the adjoining Port of Long Beach had its best October in eight years, despite a decrease in imports. A total of 619,983 TEUs moved through Long Beach in October. Cargo volume rose 6.3 percent at the port last month compared to the same month last year.

For the first 10 months of 2015, overall volumes at Los Angeles (6,824,212 TEUs) are down 2.7 percent compared to the same period in 2014. For the fiscal year, which began July 1, LA has moved 2.92 million TEUs, a drop of 1.53 percent compared to 2.96 million TEUs during the same four-month period in FY 2015.

Current and past data container counts for the Port of Los Angeles may be found at: http://www.portoflosangeles.org/maritime/stats.asp