Port of Long Beach container volumes down 2.7% to 9.13 million TEU in 2022
The Port of Long Beach marked its second-busiest year on record by moving 9.13 million twenty-foot equivalent units in 2022, allowing for a return to normal operations, according to the company's release.
The Port ended 2022 with 9,133,657 TEUs moved, down 2.7% from 2021, which remains the Port’s most active year in its 112-year history.
Imports declined 4.9% to 4,358,789 TEUs, while exports totaled 1,414,882 TEUs, down 1.6%. Despite the slight decline, the Port of Long Beach remained the nation’s leading export port for a second consecutive year, for loaded TEUs. Empty containers processed through the Port decreased a narrow 0.14% from a year earlier to 3,359,986 TEUs.
A rise in online purchases and aggressive efforts to transfer long-dwelling cargo off the docks bolstered trade moving through the Port during the first half of 2022, with monthly cargo records in January, February, March, April, June and July.
Trade was down 27.9% in December compared to the same period in 2021 with 544,104 TEUs moved. Imports dropped 32.6% to 241,643 TEUs while exports increased 1.6% to 115,782 TEUs. Empty containers were down 33.7% to 186,680 TEUs.
