SIMIC

THE Port of Los Angeles volume came to 779,140 TEU in May while the adjacent Port of Long Beach posted 758,225 TEU, its best month in 2023.

While LA suffered a 19 per cent year-on-year drop, it represents a 60 per cent gain since February.



Said LA port executive director Gene Seroka: "Even with improving volume, our terminals are a long way from working at full capacity. But we're starting to see more vessels headed across the Pacific to Los Angeles, an encouraging sign for the second half."



LA's May laden imports reached 409,150 TEU, down 18 per cent year on year. Laden exports came in at 101,741 TEU, a decline of 19 per cent year on year. Empties came in at 268,249 TEU, a 22 per cent decline.



Said Long Beach port CEO Mario Cordero: "At mid-year we're starting to see signs that cargo volume is on the upswing, with our busiest month since August of last year."



Long Beach imports decreased 17.2 per cent to 361,661 TEU and exports increased 8.1 per cent to 127,870 TEU. Empties came in at 268,695 TEU, down 20 per cent. Cargo throughput in May was up 15.6 per cent from April, which was 8.6 per cent more than March.