Ports Post Generally Higher April Cargo Movements
U.S. ports logged higher cargo movements in April from a year ago, with the Port of Long Beach, California, reporting that its tonnage rose to the highest level for the month in six years.
Cargo at the Long Beach port jumped 7.9%, leading to its busiest April in nine years. It moved 614,860 20-foot equivalent units, or TEUs. Its imports rose 7.3% to 317,376 TEUs, and exports fell 6.1% to 137,546 TEUs.
Port officials said terminal workers were moving through “the backlog left over from the winter’s congestion in San Pedro Bay” and that by the end of the month there were no containerships waiting at anchor to unload.
Long Beach and the Port of Los Angeles make up the largest seaport complex in North America.
Los Angeles’ total container traffic fell 6.1% from a year ago to 662,973 TEUs. Port officials attributed the drop, in part, to a strong April last year when importers were advancing shipments due to concern over labor negotiations later in the year. Imports were off 9.9% to 328,140 TEUs, while exports fell 15.8% to 145,655 TEUs, port data show.
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Ports on the East Coast also posted gains, with particular strength in Savannah, Georgia, where volumes topped 25%, and Virginia’s port complex, Virginia Ports Authority, where TEUs rose 4.4% to 210,177. That included a 6.9% jump in exports to 115,668 TEUs.
VPA said it processed almost 74,000 truck moves in April, up 3.2% from a year ago.
“April was the second month we have had so far this year with volumes above 200,000 TEUs, and we are expecting this kind of volume to become the norm,” CEO and Executive Director John Reinhart said in a statement.
The Port of Savannah reported container volumes jumped 25.8% in April, to 335,337 TEUs. The Georgia Ports Authority, of which Savannah is a part, said it saw strong growth, moving 77,574 roll-off units through Savannah and Port of Brunswick, a 14.1% year-over-year gain.
The South Carolina Ports Authority said its April TEU total rose 10.8% from a year ago to 168,182, including a 12.4% gain in imported containers to 70,763 and 3.8% increase in exports to 62,946.
“The volumes reflect significant growth across all business segments,” said John Hassell, SCPA’s vice chairman. “Spring is typically a busy season for us, particularly on the containerized cargo side.”
