Bringing to an end a surge in cargo seen in the latter half of 2021 through to July 2022 the Port of LA handled an estimated 806,000 teu in August this year, 15% lower than the same period last year.

A gateway for US imports the Port of LA saw a 17% drop in loaded imports 404,000 teu in August, while loaded exports decreased 1% to 100,000 teu, compared to August 2021. The volume of empty containers handled declined by 18% to 301,000 teu.

It was a different picture at the Port of Long Beach where volumes handled were buoyed by empties but also the fall in imports was less dramatic. Long Beach handled 860,940 teu in August, down just 0.1% on the same month in 2021.

Imports at the Port of Long Beach were down 5.6% to 384,530 teu and exports increased 1.6% to 121,408 teu. Empty containers helped push volumes as a whole and increased 7.2% to 301,001 teu.

The sharp drop in loaded imports at the Port of LA comes at a time when traditional volumes ramp up ahead of the peak holiday season.

“Some goods that usually arrive in August the for the fall and winter season shipped earlier to make sure they reached their destination in time,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said at a news briefing. “Additionally, inflationary concerns and elevated inventory levels have made some retailers and e-commerce sellers more cautious.”

Carriers and shippers have also sought to reroute volumes away from US West Coast ports due to the possibility of a labour strike members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU). This has resulted in a build-up of congestion at US East Coast ports.

The possible threat of a strike remains as negotiations between ILWU), and the port terminals, represented by the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) continue. Although the existing contract expired on 30 June both sides have committed to maintaining service levels while negotiations continue.

Meanwhile Seroka repeated statements from a month earlier about spare capacity at the Port of LA’s terminals. “We’ve got capacity on our terminals and the ability to handle cargo coming in more efficiently than last holiday season.”

Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero, said, “We are collaborating with stakeholders to provide more information, more space and more flexibility across the supply chain.

A co-operation agreement between The Ashdod Port Company and Port of Barcelona aims to promote Israeli innovation in Europe. Under the agreement, Israeli start-ups from Port of Ashdod’s incubator that successfully complete a pilot programme at the port of Ashdod will be able to conduct a pilot programme at the Port of Barcelona.

“The start-ups will benefit from field conditions in which they can implement their developments, will be accompanied by an innovation agent acting on behalf of the port, alongside the expansion of business and technological opportunities in the Port of Barcelona, one of the largest ports in Europe,” said Ashdod Port Company.

The Barcelona scheme follows a similar arrangement with the port of Newark in the US, where five Port of Ashdod incubator start-ups have launched pilot programmes.

A delegation from the Ashdod Port Company went to Barcelona on September 12 and was led by the Chairlady of the Board of Directors, Orna Hozman Bechor. The participating start-ups in the delegation included:

• CYBER 2.0, which has developed technology to prevent the spread of cyberattacks within the corporate network
• CYBERVIEW, which has developed an ongoing and effective information security management platform
• Airwayz, which is responsible for an operating system that controls a fleet of drones and enables effective supervision
• EnWize, which developed augmented and virtual reality technology for training operations teams, which helps to prevent mistakes and create a safe work environment are also part of the delegation.
• Captain’s Eye, which offers a network of advanced cameras and image processing that help identify and quickly deal with accidents and security threats

According to Orna Hozman Bechor: “Our technology incubator has a great deal to offer in order to make the world of shipping and ports more efficient, from the field of logistics and transportation to control systems and green energy”

The technology incubator was established in 2021 and has since accompanied over 60 start-ups in various fields, including operations, logistics, cyber protection, and safety, said the port.

Ashdod Port’s Board of Directors recently announced an investment of around NIS 4.5m ($1.3m) in four of the incubator’s start-ups, incorporating the technologies into the port’s work through purchases and royalty agreements.

“Expanding the activity of the start-ups to leading ports around the world is an important milestone for reinforcing the international, technological, and economic connections of the start-ups and their ventures, as well as of the Port of Ashdod and the entire State of Israel as the start-up nation”, said Bechor.

“As Israel’s national port, we are proud to nurture the spread of Israeli innovation overseas.”

The President of the Port of Barcelona, Damia Calvet, said: “At the Port of Barcelona we are convinced that we must welcome the arrival of innovation and new technologies. Tools such as big data, blockchain, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things will allow us to become more efficient and improve our sustainability and competitiveness.

“The Mediterranean Sea has suitable conditions for the development of a network of smart ports. Through digital transformation and hosting incubators of innovation in the ports, we will be able to increase growth and employ more workers.”