By Karen Robes Meeks
The Port of Long Beach posted its second-busiest first quarter ever, according to the latest numbers released Tuesday. The strong quarter occurred despite a drop in overall cargo.
Long Beach handled more than 1.8 million TEUs from January through March, trailing last year’s record first quarter. The port handled 552,821 TEUs, 3.9 percent less than the same period last year. It moved 7.8 percent fewer imports at 247,039 TEUs and exports fell 7.7 percent at 131,436 TEUs.
“With warehouses full from shippers rushing to beat the looming threat of escalating tariffs, shipments slowed somewhat,” said Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero. “It’s going to take some time for inventory to cycle to markets and for typical growth to resume.”
