Port of Long Beach Achieves Best August
LONG BEACH — The Port of Long Beach reported its peak shipping season started strong, lifting the port to its strongest August on record.
Dockworkers and terminal operators moved 807,704 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of container cargo last month, an 11.3% increase compared to August 2020. Imports were up 11.7% to 407,426 TEUs and exports decreased 5.3% to 119,485 TEUs. Empty containers moved through the port rose 19.7% to 280,794 TEUs.
The Port of Long Beach has broken monthly cargo records in 13 of the last 14 months. Cargo moving through the port was boosted by heightened inventory replacement and the start of the peak shipping season, which traditionally runs from August to October as retailers prepare for the upcoming holiday season.
Although consumer demand softened slightly from a month earlier, overall retail sales in August were roughly 18% above pre-pandemic levels.
The port has moved 6,346,377 TEUs through the first eight months of 2021, a 29.2% increase from the same period in 2020.
Port of Los Angeles Awards $1 Million in Grants to 27 Local Organizations
SAN PEDRO — The Port of Los Angeles Sept. 2, awarded $1 million in grants to 27 local organizations to support programs, projects and events benefiting a wide variety of communities, both locally and statewide. A total of 49 organizations applied for Fiscal Year 2021/22 funding from the port’s Community Investment Grant Program.
Grants were awarded in three categories, small (less than $5,000), medium ($5,001-$99,999) and large (more than $100,000) in support of local workforce development, education, the environment and LA Waterfront. All grant funding is self-supported by port shipping and lease revenues, and not taxpayer-funded. All 2021 grant applications were additionally reviewed for adherence to COVID-19 safety protocols and policies.
The two organizations that received grants in the large funding category were EXP and the Los Angeles Maritime Institute or LAMI. EXP will use its grant on next-generation workforce development, supporting youth maritime education programs and career preparation in the maritime industry. The LAMI award will support TopSail, its on-the-water, experiential education sailing program for at-risk youth.
Recipients in the medium grant category include Clean Wilmington with a $60,000 grant, Friends of the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium with a $30,000 grant and San Pedro’s International Bird Rescue Center. which received a $15,000 grant.
Final grant awards were reviewed and made by a committee of six individuals — three from the port’s community relations division, one each from the Wilmington and San Pedro Chambers of Commerce and one from Los Angeles Council District 15.