Port Cargo Ups and Downs at POLA and POLB Respectively

Port of Los Angeles Cargo Volume Increases in August

SAN PEDRO — The Port of Los Angeles Sept. 14 moved 828,016 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) in August, a 3% increase compared to the same period last year. It was the port’s first monthly year-over-year increase in 13 months.

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Seroka also noted that the recent ratification of the six-year contract between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association restores stability and confidence to customers as they make decisions on where to ship their cargo.

August 2023 loaded imports landed at 433,224 TEUs, an increase of 7% compared to the previous year. Loaded exports came in at 124,988 TEUs, an increase of 22% compared to 2022. Empty containers totaled 269,804 TEUs, a 10% year-over-year decline. Combined, August volumes were 828,016TEUs, a 3% increase compared to last August.

Eight months into 2023, the port has processed 5,649,686 TEUs, 21% less than the same period last year. August 2023 container counts may change subject to final verification. 

Port of Long Beach Sees Cargo Lull in August

LONG BEACH — The Port of Long Beach saw a modest start to the traditional “peak” shipping season as warehouses remained overstocked and consumers continued to pivot toward travel and other summertime activities.

Dockworkers and terminal operators moved 682,312 twenty-foot equivalent units last month, a 15.4% decline from August 2022. Imports decreased 15.4% to 325,436 TEUs, while exports were down 23.1% to 93,402 TEUs. Empty containers moving through the port declined 12.5% to 263,474 TEUs.

The port has moved 4,993,237 TEUs during the first eight months of 2023, down 24.4% from the same period last year. Cargo flows this year have been on pace with pre-pandemic levels, when the Port of Long Beach moved more than 4.9 million TEUs through August 2019.