Container Volumes Drop at Port of LA

February cargo volumes at the Port of Los Angeles decreased 10.2 percent compared to the same period last year, due to terminal congestion and supply chain challenges during labor negotiations which reached a tentative agreement between the Pacific Maritime Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union on February 20.

“Cargo flow has improved since the end of February and throughout March,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka. “ILWU labor is back strong at our terminals. The new interoperable chassis fleet is up and running.  We’ve seen promising results in conjunction with initiatives like the cargo “peel off” program and testing activity around Cargomatic, a company working to create a more efficient method of dispatching trucks to terminals. Additionally, the Federal Maritime Commission’s approval of a working agreement is enabling the San Pedro Bay ports to convene stakeholders in the coming weeks to discuss additional solutions that will put this backlog behind us.”

Imports dropped 10.7 percent, from 284,812 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) in February 2014 to 254,225 TEUs in February 2015. Exports declined 10.3 percent, from 146,925 TEUs in February 2014 to 131,806 TEUs in February 2015. Combined, total loaded imports and exports fell 10.6 percent, from 431,738 TEUs in February 2014 to 386,031 TEUs in February 2015. Factoring in empties, which fell 9 percent,  overall February 2015 volumes (502,663 TEUs) declined 10.2 percent.