Container volumes at the Port of Long Beach dropped by 1.9% in August compared to the same month the year before. Namely, a total of 679,543 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) were moved through the Port.
Imports also declined 3.6% to 343,029 TEUs, while exports increased by 1.9% to 119,546 TEUs. Empty containers sent overseas reduced by 1.1% to 16,968 TEUs.
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This is contrary to August 2017, which was one of the busiest months in the Port of Long Beach’s 107-year history. At the time, it was the third-busiest month ever, and the mark has been exceeded three times since.
Long Beach’s volumes through the first eight months of the year stand at 5,320,930 TEUs, a number that is 9.4% above the pace of 2017, the Port’s best year ever.
According to the Port of Long Beach’s, Executive Director Mario Cordero, this decline is due to ‘a realignment of ocean carrier alliance services and port calls’.
In addition, another factor is higher tariffs by the US and China, something that helped increase traffic, as shippers act to beat duties imposed on goods this summer.
