Port of Los Angeles Sees Cargo Volumes Dip in October

The Port of Los Angeles reported October volumes of 902,644 TEUs, a decrease of 8% compared from last year when it handled record monthly volumes.

Still, year-to-date overall cargo volume through the Port of Los Angeles, the top container port in the United States, has increased 22% over 2020.

“Amid the array of challenges facing the supply chain, we continue to deliver more cargo than ever,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka, in announcing the monthly statistics. “The National Retail Federation is forecasting a record holiday season as many outlets such as Walmart, Target and Home Depot report strong sales.”

Seroka said clearing docks of imports and empties remains a top priority. “As a result, we’ve seen a marked improvement of fluidity on our marine terminals, which allows  more vessels to be processed,” he said.

The port’s announcement highlighted a reported 31% drop – from 94,981 to 65,080 – in the number of import containers on Port of Los Angeles marine terminals from October 24, the day before the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach announced fines for import containers dwelling nine days or more. Import containers dwelling 9+ days has declined 35%, from 37,410 to 24,361, the port said.

October loaded imports reached 467,287 TEUs, an 8% decline compared to the previous year. Loaded exports also dropped 32% to 98,251 TEUs compared to 2020. Empty containers shipped overseas increased to 337,106 TEUs, an increase of 2% compared to last year.

Officials have said ocean carriers are bringing in additional “sweeper” ships to load out empty containers, freeing up space on the docks.

Ten months into 2021, the Port has processed 9,079,562 TEUs, 22% more than the 7,444,464 TEUs handled at this time last year.

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Port of Los Angeles Sees Cargo Volumes Dip in October