Quiet March Sees Cargo Slow in Long Beach

Harsh winter elsewhere, ship deployment changes soften traffic

Container volumes at the Port of Long Beach dipped in March, compared to the same month one year ago, with a decline of 1.9 percent overall and imports essentially flat.

March saw some shipping lines suspend services or switch to the nearby Port of Los Angeles. The prolonged and harsh winter in the Midwest and East Coast also affected cargo numbers, as residents outside of places like the sunny Southwest were hampered in their attempts to consume.

A total of 477,209 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) moved through the Port of Long Beach during March. Imports numbered 223,432 TEUs, down 0.7 percent from 2013. Exports fell 1.5 percent to 153,883 TEUs. Empty containers were down 5.4 percent to 99,894 TEUs.

Last year, against which 2014 is being compared, was the third-busiest year in Port history with a total of 6.73 million TEUs.

The Port of Long Beach said it continues to invest long term and is three years into a decade-long, $4 billion program to upgrade its facilities.

polb.com