Container cargo shipments declined by 9.1 percent in August at the Port of Long Beach, reflecting both early shipping by importers this year and the comparison to an August last year that was the Port’s busiest month since 2007.
A total of 573,083 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) were moved through the Port in August. Imports dropped 8.2 percent to 300,851 TEUs, and exports declined 17.7 percent to 126,856 TEUs. Empty containers, which are sent overseas to be refilled, fell 2 percent to 145,376 TEUs.
The downturn last month followed a surge in Long Beach from April through June 2014, when retailers shipped their products early ahead of the expiration of the longshore contract at the end of June.
Last year’s August was very busy and started off the typical August through October “peak season.” That peak season may have occurred earlier this year.
The first eight months of 2014 saw a 1 percent increase in volume. Last year, against which 2014 is being compared, was the third-busiest year in Port history with a total of 6.73 million TEUs.
With an ongoing $4 billion program to modernize its facilities, the Port of Long Beach continues to invest in long-term, environmentally sustainable growth.