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POLB Moves Over 7 Million TEUs in 2015
[ January 16, 2016 // Gary G Burrows ]The Port of Long Beach recovered from systemic congestion and cargo diversion in the first quarter 2015 to deliver one of its strongest results on record. For only the third time in its 105-year history, Long Beach topped 7 million TEUs during the year. Cargo volume climbed 5.4% in 2015 compared to 2014.
“We’re gratified to see the business growth — we worked diligently over these past 12 months to recover from a very challenging start to the year, resulting in record volume and productivity gains and the strong and steady return of diverted cargo,” said Port of Long Beach CEO Jon Slangerup. “We credit terminal operators, labor, shipping lines, cargo owners and our local community with pulling together to turn things around.”
In December, the Port achieved 5.1% overall growth, compared to December 2014. Imports increased 7% to 296,002 TEUs, while exports fell 4.1% to 126,118 TEUs. In December, empties rose 9.5% to 174,328 TEUs.
For 2015, a total of 7,192,066 TEUs moved through the harbor. Imports rose 3.1% to 3,625,263 TEUs, while exports dropped 4.9% to 1,525,560. Empty containers rose 20.2% to 2,041,243 TEUs. The strong dollar continues to favor imports and discourage exports, resulting in more empties being sent back overseas to be refilled with goods.
During July and August, Long Beach achieved record cargo volumes resulting in the Port’s biggest quarter in its history — more than 2 million TEUs moved through the Port in the third quarter.
Tags: Port of Long Beach