For the second month in a row, the Port of Long Beach broke its own record for cargo volume in its 104-year history. Overall cargo volume grew by 22.8% in August, 2015 compared to the same month in 2014.
Cargo volumes reached more than 703,000 TEU. A total of 1,393,896 TEU moved through the Port of Long Beach in July and August.
The result is especially notable given the big challenges the US West Coast faced over the 2014/15 winter, with huge congestion stultifying smooth trade.
In May, 2015, Dr Noel Hacegaba, Chief Commercial Officer at the Port of Long Beach, outlined his and his port’s vision to combat congestion in the form of a Technical Paper with PTI.
His and the Port of Long Beach’s strategy has been proven to be highly effective.
Read: Dr Noel Hacegaba; How the US West Coast Cleared Congestion
Jon Slangerup, CEO of the Port of Long Beach, said: “Our partners once again have expressed their confidence in the Port of Long Beach and we thank them for their business. We have been working with all our stakeholders and the results are our best month ever.”
As consumer confidence grows, the dollar strengthens and retailers’ stock shelves, the Port of Long Beach’s strategic partnerships continue to yield positive results.
Through the first eight months of 2015, Long Beach cargo numbers are growing faster than the overall economy and are up 5.4% compared to the first eight months of 2014.
Jon Slangerup said: “We’re building the port of the future by investing US$4 billion in improvements because as the economy grows, we will grow. We have not seen volume like this in our entire 104-year history and that is the clearest sign that consumers are buying.”
Keep your eyes peeled for an upcoming Technical Paper by Noel Hacegaba on the Port of Long Beach in issue 67 of the PTI Journal: The Mega-Ports Edition.