POLB News Briefs

POLB Shipments Drop 17%

LONG BEACH—Decreased consumer demand during stay-at-home health orders prompted by COVID-19 drove down April imports significantly compared to April 2019 at the Port of Long Beach. Exports were hampered by a shift of carrier services.

Dockworkers and terminal operators moved 519,730 twenty-foot equivalent units, or TEUs, in April, down 17.3 percent from April 2019. Imports slid 20.2 percent to 253,540 TEUs, while exports declined 17.2 percent to 102,502 TEUs. Empty containers headed overseas decreased 12.2 percent to 163,688 TEUs.

The port moved 2,202,650 TEUs during the first four months of 2020, 9.5 percent down from the same period in 2019.

While the Port of Long Beach had only one canceled sailing in April, 48 canceled vessel voyages are expected in combination with the Port of Los Angeles from April 1 through June 30, 16 of which are scheduled for the Port of Long Beach. The two ports reported 10 blank sailings during the same period in 2019.

The figures come after 61 canceled sailings for the San Pedro Bay ports during the first quarter of 2020 caused by a manufacturing slowdown during the height of the COVID-19 crisis in China. This figure is nearly double the 31 blank sailings a year earlier.

Business and labor leaders are collaborating to keep the Port of Long Beach open and operating during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Details: polb.com/statistics

Port Names Environmental, Business Division Leaders

LONG BEACH —The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners on May 11 approved the promotions of two longtime employees to lead the Port of Long Beach’s Environmental Planning and Business Development divisions.

Matt Arms will take over the fulltime role as director of environmental planning after serving as acting director. Environmental Planning is the division most directly responsible for the port’s signature environmental programs: the Green Port Policy and the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan. In December 2013, Arms was called to serve as acting director while the director was on leave, and was named assistant director upon the director’s return. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from Washington State University in 1998.

Roger Wu also served as acting director for the division he leads. The Business Development Division is responsible for maximizing revenue opportunities for the port by developing business attraction strategies and through close relationships with ocean carriers, cargo owners, terminal operators, labor and supply chain partners.

Wu has more than 20 years of experience in the shipping industry, working at NYK Line, Evergreen Line and EVA Air. He has a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of California Irvine and a master’s degree in Global Logistics from California State University Long Beach.