San Pedro Bay ports have reported an increase in container volumes during the previous month, with the Port of Los Angeles (POLA) moving 763,262 TEUs in a 19% year-over-year improvement and the Port of Long Beach (POLB) moving 731,033 TEUs in a 24.2% growth over November 2022.
“We are recapturing market share, online shopping is on the rise and retailers are keeping the shelves stocked to meet rising consumer demand for the holidays,” pointed out POLB CEO Mario Cordero, who went on to say, “We remain optimistic as cargo returns to this critical gateway for Transpacific trade.”
November’s loaded imports at the LA port landed at 384,619 TEUs, an increase of 25% compared to the previous year, while loaded exports reached 111,755 TEUs, an increase of 24% year-over-year. At the same time, empty boxes totalled 266,888 TEUs, translating to a 10% growth compared to last year.
In Long Beach, container imports rose 37% to 355,339 TEUs, but exports declined 13% to 108,798 TEUs. Additionally, empty containers moved through the port were up 30.6% to 266,896 TEUs.
“Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales were strong, and the forecast for overall holiday sales is 3 to 4% above last year, another high mark,” stated POLA executive director Gene Seroka.
Eleven months into 2023, the port of Los Angeles has processed 7,887,162 TEUs, 14% less than the same period last year, while the port of Long Beach has handled 7,308,848 TEUs, down 14.9%.