Ports Briefs: Cargo Is lighter In Ports Of Los Angeles and Long Beach and Importers Drift East

Port of Los Angeles/ Long Beach Cargo Volumes Ease in November

     SAN PEDRO/LONG BEACH — Cargo volume remained soft at the Port of Los Angeles in November as the port handled 639,344 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs), a 21% decrease from November 2021. Overall, the port has handled 7% less cargo in the first 11 months of 2022 compared to last year’s all-time record. 

“Imports into the United States have begun to level off, in addition to cargo that has shifted away from West Coast ports due to protracted labor negotiations,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka during today’s media briefing. “In the months ahead, we’re going to have to work harder and smarter to earn cargo back. Every ship, every train, every truck needs to be handled with the top-level service our customers expect and deserve.”

Seroka was joined at the briefing by Jeremy Nixon, Chief Executive officer of Ocean Network Express (ONE), one of the world’s largest shipping carriers. Nixon discussed the trade outlook for 2023 as well as ONE initiatives to improve service for its customers.

WATCH VIDEO LINK HERE

November 2022 loaded imports reached 307,080 TEUs, down 24% compared to the previous year. Loaded exports came in at 90,116 TEUs, an increase of 9% compared to last November. Empty containers landed at 242,148 TEUs, a 26% year-over-year decline.

     It’s the same In Long Beach as trade moving through the Port of Long Beach softened in November amid reduced orders from retailers, full warehouses, vessel transfers between the San Pedro Bay ports and goods shifted toward seaports along the East and Gulf coasts.

Dockworkers and terminal operators moved 588,742 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) last month, down 21% from November 2021. Imports slid 28.4% to 259,442 TEUs, while exports increased 13.8% to 124,988 TEUs. Empty containers moving through the port decreased 25.2% to 204,313 TEUs.

“While some import volume has shifted to other gateways, we are confident that a good portion of it will return to the San Pedro Bay,” said Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero. “As we move toward normalization of the supply chain, it’s time to refocus our efforts on engaging in sustainable and transformative operations that will secure our place as a leader in trans-Pacific trade.”

Long-dwelling containers at the San Pedro Bay port complex have been reduced by more than 90% since the end of October 2021, when the Port of Long Beach and the Port of Los Angeles initiated a Congestion Dwell Fee. Although the fee has not been assessed, it has incentivized shippers to remove long-dwelling import containers from terminals.

The Port of Long Beach has moved 8,589,553 TEUs during the first 11 months of 2022, down 0.5% from the same period in 2021, which was the Port’s strongest year on record. The Port of Long Beach is the nation’s leading export port, with 1.44 million TEUs of loaded exports in 2021, and nearly 1.3 million TEUs through the first 11 months of 2022.

California Long Ruled U.S. Shipping But Importers Drift East

PORTS OF LOS ANGELES, LONG BEACH — Companies across many industries are rethinking how and where they ship goods after years of relying heavily on the western U.S. as an entry point, betting that ports in the East and the South can save them time and money while reducing risk. Their reasons range from fears of a dockworkers strike along the West Coast and a repeat of the bottlenecks that roiled supply chains early in the pandemic to a reduced dependence on Chinese production and the need to get products to all parts of the country faster.

Details: https://tinyurl.com/importers-drift-east