Marine terminals at the Port of Long Beach handled almost 1.9 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) January through March, leading the port to surpass its previous first quarter cargo record set in 2007.
March throughput reached 575,258 TEUs, an increase of 13.8 percent compared to the same month last year. The quick start also placed cargo volumes 19.4 percent ahead of the first quarter of 2017, the port’s busiest year ever.
“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.”
Dockworkers moved 267,824 import TEUs in March, 7.3 percent more than a year ago. Exports grew 18.3 percent to 142,419 TEUs. The large number of imported goods demanded by American consumers meant container ships hauled 165,015 empty TEUs overseas to be refilled.
“Our business development trips are bringing us more trade activity,” said Harbor Commission President Lou Anne Bynum. “We see favorable responses during our visits with our overseas partners. We’re pleased to be off to a great start in 2018 following a successful 2017 for us and our industry partners.”