Shipping Activity Surges at Long Beach, L.A. Ports

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Activity at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles surged in January.


Imports were up 16 percent in Long Beach and 8 percent in L.A. from the same period last year, according to the data released by the two ports. Exports rose at an even greater pace, with Long Beach up 22 percent and L.A. up 20 percent from a year ago.


Manny Aschemeyer, executive director of the Marine Exchange of Southern California and traffic controller for both ports, attributed some of the gains to shippers returning after the congestion reported at the local ports last year.


A total of 241 container ships docked last month in both ports, 10 more than the same period last year. Aschemeyer said that would likely translate into more business, too. “These ships are even bigger than the ships used last year, which means there is a lot more cargo coming in than just 10 more ships worth.”


A push to move goods out of Asia before the Chinese New Year (January 29) may have contributed to the increased flow, according to Art Wong, a spokesman for the Port of Long Beach.


Industry observers predict an 8 percent to 10 percent increase in flow at the ports this year.


“In this industry,” Wong said, “every month is a record-breaking month.”

Ships carrying cars and oil were part of the reason the traffic increased. Forty-three ships carrying foreign automobiles docked in the first two months of the year, up from 34 a year ago. There was an 8 percent rise in the amount of oil coming into the two ports during that period as well.

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