Cargo Traffic Down in L.A., Long Beach

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Cargo volume at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach fell last month compared with the same period last year, the latest figures show.

In Los Angeles, cargo volume was down 2 percent compared with June of 2014, according to figures released late Wednesday.

More than 721,000 containers passed through the port last month. Both import and export numbers were down compared to last year, with imports falling 3.7 percent and exports dropping 10 percent, likely the result of the dollar’s continued strong performance relative to other currencies. Drooping import and export figures were boosted by an 8.6 percent increase in the number of empty containers that moved through the port, officials reported Wednesday.

Total traffic at the port is down 3.7 percent through the first six months of the year, though those figures take into account a January and February period affected by labor unrest and slowdowns at the port.

Meanwhile, at the neighboring Port of Long Beach, container volumes dropped 4.4 percent last month compared to the same period a year earlier.

More than 583,620 containers moved through the port in June, with imports down 6 percent and exports down 8.4 percent, according to figures released Thursday.

For the first six months of this year, cargo numbers in Long Beach were basically flat, up just one-tenth of a percent, compared to the same period last year. June of last year was an especially busy year for the port because shippers were preparing for the expiration of the longshore labor contract, according to port officials.