Port of Long Beach Hits 113-Year High in Cargo for August
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The Port of Long Beach once again saw record-breaking cargo numbers in August, port officials said Sept. 12.
“Shippers are turning to us and returning as their business increases,” port CEO Mario Cordero said in a virtual news briefing. “Peak season boosted the port’s strongest month in its 113-year history.”
July was also an all-time record-breaking month for the port, Cordero said.
“Cargo diversions and concerns about upcoming tariffs are creating a busy peak season for us,” Cordero said.
Also in play for shippers, Cordero said, are ongoing disruptions because of East and Gulf Coast labor negotiations, as well as impacts from ongoing world events in the Red Sea and climate issues impacting the Panama Canal.
#POLB had a record month in August, boosted by the peak shipping season. Dockworkers and terminal operators moved 913,873 TEUs, up 33.9% from the same month last year, surpassing the Port’s previous all-time one-month record set in May 2021 by 6,657 TEUs. https://t.co/LuugbYAGb7 pic.twitter.com/I7UcpVAOGb — Port of Long Beach (@portoflongbeach) September 12, 2024
August numbers came in at 913,873 20-foot equivalent units — a 33.9% increase over the same month a year ago. August’s numbers beat the port’s previous all-time single-month record, set in May 2021, by 6,657 TEUs.
And the surge is potentially not over yet.
Cordero said he anticipates the strong cargo arrivals to continue through late this year.
“Throughout July, the San Pedro Bay (which includes both the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports) is thriving and is on track for a very strong year,” Cordero said. “Don’t be surprised if (the ports collectively) reach 1.9 million TEUs this year.”
The Port of Los Angeles is also seeing the strong cargo flow continue and will release its August numbers next week, according to a port spokesperson.
The Long Beach port is operating at 74% of its capacity, Cordero said, and has also improved its efficiency.
“Truck turn times are at an hour or less at most terminals, with the highest at just under 90 minutes,” he said, crediting better utilization of terminal appointment systems and hoot — or overnight/early morning — shifts that allow truckers to pick up cargo at 5 a.m. rather than waiting until 8 a.m.
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While the port isn’t operating fully on a 24/7 schedule yet, Cordero said, the “framework is there” for such a transition in the future.
“I think as a nation everybody’s still surprised by the continuing spending of the consumer,” Cordero said. “I’m cautiously optimistic we’re going to have a very good year.”
With holiday shopping coming up, Cordero said, customers should have no trouble finding the items they want on store shelves.
The Port of Long Beach’s chief operating officer, Noel Hacegaba, who joined Cordero for the briefing, also credited the “resiliency of the American consumer, even in the face of historically high inflation” for driving the ongoing cargo influx.
