Port of Los Angeles container throughput up 5.5 percent to 731,353 TEU
The Port of Los Angeles reported its busiest May on record while cargo shipments continued to decline at the neighbouring Port of Long Beach, according to figures released yesterday.
The Port of Los Angeles handled 731,353 cargo containers last month, a 5.5 percent jump from May 2011, reported Daily Breeze.
"Coming off of our best April on record, we have now just experienced our best May on record," said Phillip Sanfield, a spokesman for the Port of Los Angeles.
"Historically, this count is what we would normally see during a peak season, so to see this in May is encouraging and surprising," Sanfield said. "We're optimistic for the rest of the year as consumer confidence returns."
The nation's busiest port reported a 2.7 percent hike in imports, a 0.4 percent increase in exports and an 18.8 percent jump in the number of empty containers.
More than 3.3 million cargo containers have passed through the Port of Los Angeles during the first five months of 2012, a six percent increase from the same period last year.
In the meantime, 497,892 cargo containers passed through the Port of Long Beach last month, a 7.2 percent drop in traffic compared with May 2011. Imports declined 9.2 percent, exports were down 0.8 percent and the number of empty containers was down 9.6 percent.
About 2.27 million cargo containers have passed through the Port of Long Beach during the first five months of the year, a 6.1 percent drop from the same period in 2011. The decline was attributed to the elimination of several niche lines that were coming into Long Beach, but port officials said they expect traffic to pick up by late summer.
