The Port of Long Beach experienced a record-breaking September. Cargo volumes were up more than 28% for the month, making it the best September in port history. This year has yielded several record-breaking trade months, and the September capped off the best quarter in port history.

Lee Peterson of the Port of Long Beach says that “consumer demand is increasing trade, especially imports” and contributing to the increase in trade volumes. “The Port of Long Beach is seeing a great deal of that trade, due to the improvements the Port has made to its facilities—deeper berths, taller cranes, on-dock rail facilities,” he tells GlobeSt.com.

In September, the Port of Long Beach moved 701,619 twenty-foot equivalent units, a total increase of 28.3%. In the third quarter, cargo volumes were up 15.9%. This activity is similar to the pre-recession trade volumes. “We're getting back to pre-recession levels, which is where we would have expected to be by now,” says Peterson.

Imports have been a major driver of activity at the port, as manufacturing has decreased; however, in September, export volumes were also up 4.9%. “We're always looking to see exports increase, and we do work with the industries that produce exports to make sure they know of the advantages of shipping through the Port of Long Beach,” adds Peterson. “We would like to see more loaded exports.”

The increase in activity has obviously created more port congestion, but the port's recent upgrades and improvements allows the port to accommodate larger loads and increased cargo volumes. “The Port's marine terminal operators and rail lines and trucking firms and labor have been able to keep up with the activity because of the lessons of recent years in terms of coordinating and planning ahead for the biggest ships,” says Peterson. “Chassis are available for trucks, the rail line bottlenecks are being removed and port is ready for the continued activity.”

With several record-breaking months under its belt already for the year, the port expects 2017 to outperform last year. “For the rest of the year, we're expecting brisk activity, and that will compare very well with the fourth quarter of last year, since that was so affected by the Hanjin bankruptcy,” says Peterson. “We're expecting a very good year overall, one of our busiest.”

Instant Insights /

2017 Yields “Best Trade Months in Port History”

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