The Port of Long Beach moved enough cargo to achieve its busiest ever quarter, signalling a return to pre-recession trade levels.
Measured by individual containers of freight, cargo volume at the Port of Long Beach climbed 4.1% in September, 2015 compared to the same period in 2014, to more than 655,000 TEU of boxed cargo.
Q3, 2015 – July through September – topped 2 million TEU, which is a first for the Port, and improved 14.8% over the Q3, 2014.
Jon Slangerup, CEO of the Port of Long Beach, said: “In recent months, Long Beach has seen a robust return of once-diverted cargo. We greatly appreciate our shippers’ continued confidence in the Port of Long Beach.”
Through the first nine months of 2015, the port has seen a 5.2% increase in cargo volume compared to the same period in 2014.
At this rate, the Port of Long Beach would finish the year with more than 7 million TEU for only the third time in its history – the first time since 2007.
For September, imports dipped 1.9% compared to the same month in 2014, to more than 332,000 TEU. Exports grew 6.1% to more than 125,000 TEU.
With an ongoing, multibillion-dollar program to modernise its facilities, the Port of Long Beach continues to build the ‘Port of the Future’ by investing in long-term, environmentally sustainable growth.
The results follow a record two-month run, where cargo volumes grew 22.8% in August, 2015. This is a strong result in comparison to the struggles with congestion earlier in 2015, which saw volumes drop considerably as a result of the major shutdown of a number of US West Coast Ports.
