Throughput at the port of Long Beach fell 11% in June

On Friday, the Port of Long Beach reported a throughput of 602,180 TEU in June, down 11.1 percent from June 2019.Imports contracted by 9.3% to 300,714 TEU, exports fell by 12.2% to 117,538 TEU, and empty box exports to Asia fell by 13.1% to 183,928TEU.

The port of Long Beach said coVID-19 continued to drag down demand for goods in the second quarter of 2020, resulting in more cancellations and fewer containers.

Despite an increase in throughput in May compared to last year, the port of Long Beach saw a decline in throughput in the first half of 2020, with throughput of 3,433,035TEU, down 6.9% year-on-year, due to lower consumer spending and continued economic uncertainty.

Mario Cordero, executive director of the Port of Long Beach, said economic challenges were likely to persist for some time as shipping companies rerouted their routes during the coVID-19 outbreak in the second quarter to accommodate reduced import demand, but the port would continue to invest in infrastructure projects to meet customer needs.

In the first half of 2019, 41 routes were merged or canceled at the Port of Los Angeles-Long Beach. This year, 104 routes were merged or canceled, including 37 anchored at Long Beach.

The port of Long Beach said it expects fewer cancellations in the third quarter because of an increase in the traditional holiday peak travel season.

Bonnie Lowenthal, chair of the Long Beach Port Commission, said our total throughput may be down, but loading records continue to be broken thanks to the hard work and collaboration of terminal operators and longshoremen.Economic recovery will take some time, but we are optimistic about the future of the ports and our partnership with labor and the entire cargo transportation industry.