THE Port of Long Beach moved less cargo in November than it did a year ago during a year where cargo volumes have already broken annual records.
The Port of Long Beach said it handled nearly 5 per cent less cargo last month than it did in November 2020 as efforts continue to make room for imports.
November's throughput volumes came in at 745,488 TEU, a 4.9 per cent decline compared to November 2020 when the port reported its busiest November on record, reports gCaptain, Ventura, California (LA area).
Volumes last month fell across the board compared to November 2020. Imports dropped 5.3 per cent to 362,394 TEUs, while exports decreased 6.4 per cent to 109,821 TEU, and empty containers fell 3.6 per cent to 273,274 TEU.
November is now the third month in a row of year-over-year declines. In October, the Port of Long Beach processed 789,716 TEU for a 2.1 per cent decline from October 2020, while September volumes fell nearly 6 per cent to 748,472 TEU.
The declines come even as dockworkers and terminal operators are on pace to process more than 9 million cargo containers by the end of 2021, surpassing the previous annual record by more than 900,000 TEU.
Through November, the Port of Long Beach has processed more than 8.6 million TEU, up over 18 per cent from last year and already surpassing the annual record of 8.1 million TEUs set in 2020.
"Clearing the line of ships waiting to enter our port and moving containers off the docks are our top priorities to ensure shelves are stocked and consumers can purchase gifts during the holiday season," said Port of Long Beach executive director Mario Cordero.
"We are seeing notable improvements toward achieving that goal as we continue to help our supply chain partners catch up and ensure goods are delivered as soon as possible."
In its announcement, the Port of Long Beach said there are 34 container vessels at anchor waiting to enter the San Pedro Bay ports complex, down from more than 80 last month, which it credited to the new queuing process that has ships waiting out in the Pacific instead of anchorages and loitering areas in the immediate vicinity of the San Pedro Bay ports.
The new queuing process, developed by the Pacific Maritime Association, the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association and the Marine Exchange of Southern California, is intended to improve safety by reducing the number of ships lined up along the coast while also improving local air quality.
The latest number of backed up ships, both in the immediate vicinity of the ports and also outside the 150-mile exclusion zone, stood at 94 containerships as of December, just below the record of 96, according to the Marine Exchange of Southern California.
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