Exports Surge at Port, Imports Fall

LOS ANGELES—Exports at the Port of Long Beach surged in the month of August, up 14.8% from August 2015. While this was an impressive increase for exports, which have been anemic, it didn't help the overall port numbers. Imports were down for the month 10.2%, producing an 8.9% year-over-year decrease in the overall port volumes for the second month in a row. In total, the harbor terminals moved 641,029 twenty-foot equivalent units in August.

We are well into peak season, and it looks like the port may underperform compared to last year, which was a record-breaking year. “We saw a decrease in import volume because August 2015 was the busiest month in our history,” Lee Peterson with the Port of Long Beach, tells GlobeSt.com. “Shipping lines may have shifted import cargo for the time being to Los Angeles, in order to maximize use of cargo space on ships.”

At this point, Peterson doesn't know why the exports had such a strong month. “We won't know more about that until the data catches up and we see what kind of cargo that was,” he says.

Imports still grossly outnumbered exports. Of the 641,029-square-foot TEUS moved by the port, 321,625 TEUs were import containers and 159,247 TEUs. Empty containers were also down 22.5% year over year, accounting for 160,157 containers.

One reason for the slowdown is that retailers have high volumes of inventories even with strong consumer spending. Shipping lines are also consolidating service routes due to the planned ocean carrier alliance. As a result, the port volumes won't likely be able to keep up with last year. “We don't expect a slowdown, but we likely will see flat numbers through the rest of the year,” adds Peterson. Compared to the first eight months of 2015, port cargo volumes are down 2.9%.

LOS ANGELES—Exports at the Port of Long Beach surged in the month of August, up 14.8% from August 2015. While this was an impressive increase for exports, which have been anemic, it didn't help the overall port numbers. Imports were down for the month 10.2%, producing an 8.9% year-over-year decrease in the overall port volumes for the second month in a row. In total, the harbor terminals moved 641,029 twenty-foot equivalent units in August.

We are well into peak season, and it looks like the port may underperform compared to last year, which was a record-breaking year. “We saw a decrease in import volume because August 2015 was the busiest month in our history,” Lee Peterson with the Port of Long Beach, tells GlobeSt.com. “Shipping lines may have shifted import cargo for the time being to Los Angeles, in order to maximize use of cargo space on ships.”

At this point, Peterson doesn't know why the exports had such a strong month. “We won't know more about that until the data catches up and we see what kind of cargo that was,” he says.

Imports still grossly outnumbered exports. Of the 641,029-square-foot TEUS moved by the port, 321,625 TEUs were import containers and 159,247 TEUs. Empty containers were also down 22.5% year over year, accounting for 160,157 containers.

One reason for the slowdown is that retailers have high volumes of inventories even with strong consumer spending. Shipping lines are also consolidating service routes due to the planned ocean carrier alliance. As a result, the port volumes won't likely be able to keep up with last year. “We don't expect a slowdown, but we likely will see flat numbers through the rest of the year,” adds Peterson. Compared to the first eight months of 2015, port cargo volumes are down 2.9%.