Economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continued to affect trade at the Port of Long Beach in April with fewer cargo containers moving through the seaport.
Dockworkers and terminal operators moved 519,730 TEUs last month, down 17.3% from April 2019, which remains the Port’s busiest April on record.
Imports fell 20.2% to 253,540 TEUs, while exports declined 17.2% to 102,502 TEUs. Empty containers headed overseas reduced 12.2% to 163,688 TEUs.
The Port moved 2,202,650 TEUs during the first four months of 2020, 9.5% down from the same period in 2019.
Mario Cordero, Executive Director of the Port of Long Beach, stted on the occasion:
We continue to collaborate with importers, exporters, terminal operators and labor to develop a recovery plan while ensuring the safe and reliable delivery of goods moving through the Port of Long Beach
The fall in consumer demand during stay-at-home health orders prompted by COVID-19 drove down imports coming into the Port of Long Beach. Exports were impacted by a shift of carrier services.
Manufacturing in China is rebounding from the COVID-19 pandemic; however, demand in the US is below normal because of the ongoing crisis.
While the Port of Long Beach had only one canceled sailing in April, there are more to come. The San Pedro Bay port complex is expected to have 48 canceled vessel voyages April 1 through June 30 – 16 of which are scheduled for the Port of Long Beach. The two ports reported 10 blank sailings during the same period in 2019.
The figures come on the heels of 61 canceled sailings for the San Pedro Bay ports during the first quarter of 2020 caused by a manufacturing slowdown during the height of the COVID-19 crisis in China, nearly double from 31 blank sailings a year earlier.
To slow the community spread of COVID-19, Port of Long Beach facilities including the Administration Building, Joint Security Command and Control Center, and Maintenance Facility remain closed to the public until further notice. However, the Port’s administrative functions continue.
