The Port of Los Angeles moved nearly a million TEUs in August, a 12 percent jump from the same time in 2019, according to new numbers released Tuesday.
Imports drove much of 961,833 TEUs handled at the nation’s busiest seaport last month, surpassing the half-million TEU mark for the first time with 516,286 TEUs. That’s 18 percent more imports moved at the L.A. port than August 2019.
“In May we saw our lowest container volumes in more than a decade,” said Port Executive Director Gene Seroka. “Since then, there has been a significant replenishment of warehouse inventories. Coupled with retailers planning for consumer holiday spending, it has created a surge of imports.”
Meanwhile, exports for August fell 10.2 percent to 131,429 TEUs. Empty containers rose 13.3 percent to 314,118 TEUs. Eight months into 2020, cargo is down 11.7 percent compared to the same time period in 2019.
The port saw one canceled sailing last month and none scheduled for this month.
In August, Los Angeles had 89 vessel calls, including eight megaships.
Among them was APL Merlion, which moved close to 29,600 TEUs during its visit last month, marking “the second highest all-time record for TEUs handled in a single ship visit,” according to the port.
Friday, September 18, 2020
