Friday, April 13, 2018

Big Quarter for Long Beach

By Karen Robes Meeks

The Port of Long Beach recently finished its best first quarter in history, surpassing a 2007 first quarter record, the port announced this week.

Nearly 1.9 million TEUs moved through the port from January through March, about 19.4 percent more than the port’s first quarter of 2017, the port’s busiest year to date.

Meanwhile, cargo volumes last month rose 13.8 percent when compared to March 2017, moving 575,258 TEUs.

Imports last month grew 7.3 percent to 267,824 import TEUs while exports jumped 18.3 percent to 142,419 TEUs.

“Our March cargo jumped despite the shipping slowdown during the Lunar New Year holiday in China,” said Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero. “One of the most encouraging signs throughout this surge in cargo last year and this year is the operational efficiency at our marine terminals. We are handling record levels of cargo with no delays.”