Long Beach Port Just Had Its Best Quarter Since ‘07

LOS ANGELES—The Port of Long Beach just had its best quarter since 2007. In March, imports surged 20.2% year-over-year with a total of 249,534 TEUs in cargo containers in March. The busy month helped end 1Q17 with an increase of 1.5% overall and 2.5% in imports, and making 1Q17 the best first quarter that the port has seen since 2007.

This is incredible considering that the port came off a slow February as a result of Lunar New Year. “The March gains alone really had to do with the Lunar New Year effect of cargo that might otherwise have moved in February, coming through in March instead, and the fact that cargo in general is on the upswing; that’s what you see in the first quarter overall gains,” Lee Peterson of the Port of Long Beach, tells GlobeSt.com. “We expect cargo to continue to be on the upswing throughout the year, as the ocean carriers seek to meet the demand of importers.”