- The port achieves ‘best July’ with almost 800,000 TEUs moved
- Imports slightly grew with a 1.6% increase, while exports decreased 20.7% year-over-year
- The port said increasing COVID-19 cases in Vietnam will likely disrupt supplies in the months ahead as factories shut down to contain outbreaks
The Port of Long Beach, the second busiest container port in the US, handled a record number of containers in July on the back of continued resilience in consumer demand.
In a statement, the port said it recorded its “best July” last month when it moved almost 800,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) through the gateway.
The port said dockworkers and terminals moved 784,845 TEUs in July, a 4.2% increase from the same month a year ago. July 2020, with 753,081 TEUs, was the previous “best July.”
Imports slightly grew last month, at 382,940 TEUs, a 1.6% increase, while exports decreased 20.7% year-over-year to 109,951 TEUs.
Empties moved out of Long Beach ballooned 22.8% to 291,955 TEUs.
“Ships arrived last month to move these empty containers out of the harbor and clear valuable terminal space as we handle historic amounts of trade,” said Port of Long Beach executive director Mario Cordero.
“These boxes are a valuable commodity in the overstressed global supply chain. Our loaded exports are likely to rebound this month.”
With the July result, the Port of Long Beach has broken monthly cargo records in 12 of the last 13 months. From January through July, the port has processed 5,538,673 TEUs, a 32.3% increase over the same period in 2020.
The global pandemic continues to impact trade volumes, the port said. An outbreak at the Port of Yantian in China delayed some vessels that called at the Port of Long Beach in July.
Looking ahead, the port said it is likely that increasing COVID-19 cases in Vietnam will disrupt supplies in the months ahead as factories shut down to contain outbreaks of the virus.
Photo by David Proffer
