Vessel Traffic Up at Los Angeles/Long Beach

The Marine Exchange of Southern California, a nonprofit trade organization that has monitored and recorded all vessel traffic statistics for the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach since 1923, has reported an overall increase in arrivals for commercial vessels calling into the LA/LB Harbor complex during 2003. Last year, reporting on the vessel traffic statistics for 2002, the Marine Exchange had recorded 5,396 arrivals for the Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor complex -- which represented a 5% decrease over the 2001 totals of 5,662 (which was one of the higher arrival counts recorded in recent years). The year 2003, however, produced 5,696 arrivals for LA/LB Harbor, which represents a 6% increase over the previous year. Most of the gain recorded for 2003, though, is linked to the labor-management difficulties of 2002, when there was a sharp decline in vessel arrivals at the end of that year. Leading the gains were: Cargo Barges – up 35% (and that follows a 22% gain reported last year as well); Passenger Ships – up 30% (and that recoups a 20% loss reported for last year); General Cargo Vessels – up 25%; Containerships – up 10%; PCC Vessels up 6%; and stores & repairs calls – up 25%. On the down side, the losses were: Ro/Ro vessels – down 23%; Dry Bulk Vessels – down 21%; Tankers – down 11%; Bunker only calls – down 4%; and Reefer ships – down 2%.