By Mark Edward Nero
April cargo volumes surged 8.9 percent at the Port of Los Angeles compared to the same month last year, according to data released by the port May 11, making it the best April in the port’s 110-year history. With 714,755 TEUs, it eclipsed the April 2012 record of 707,182 TEUs.
For the first four months of 2017, cargo has increased 10 percent compared to 2016, which was a record-breaking year for the port.
“April was the first month of new vessel alliance deployments around the globe, and we are pleased that the Port of Los Angeles provided world-class service and efficiency at our terminals,” POLA Executive Director Gene Seroka said in a statement. “We continue to seek new ways to improve operations,” he added.
According to the numbers published by POLA, April 2017 imports increased 8.3 percent to 372,040 TEUs compared to the previous year, while exports jumped 9.4 percent to 157,661 TEUs. The total loaded volumes of 529,702 TEUs represented an increase of 8.6 percent compared to the previous year, while empty containers grew 9.8 percent to 185,052 TEUs.
The port’s most recent five-year average of April container volumes is 674,540 TEUs, and this year’s volumes represent a six percent increase over the five-year average.
Current and historical data is available on the port’s website at https://www.portoflosangeles.org/maritime/stats.asp.
