With a month to go, the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach have already well surpassed their 2023 total cargo volumes.
Dockworkers at both ports handled essentially the same container volume in November – 884,315 containers for the Port of L.A. and 884,154 at the Port of Long Beach. Combined, the total puts both ports at an 11-month total of nearly 18.2 million containers – just about 1.5 million containers ahead of last year’s 12-month total.
Port of L.A. Executive Director Gene Seroka noted in his monthly media briefing that the port was on pace to exceed the 10 million containers in a year mark for just the second time in its 117-year history.
“It’s a remarkable milestone that we owe to the collective efforts of our partners: the women and men of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, our trucking community, terminal operators, rail partners and many others whose efforts continue to elevate the Port of Los Angeles to new heights,” he added.
Broken down, the Port of L.A. processed 458,165 loaded import containers and 124,117 loaded exports, while the Port of Long Beach had 432,823 loaded imports and 119,083 loaded exports. (The remaining sum comprise empty containers traveling in either direction.)
Cargo the rest of the year
December cargo volumes are expected to likewise be high as the final hauls of holiday retail arrive and Chinese manufacturers front-load shipments ahead of the Lunar New Year season.
“Imports are being driven by strong consumer demand while retailers continue to move cargo here out of concern for labor negotiations at ports on the East and Gulf coasts,” said Port of Long Beach Chief Executive Mario Cordero. “We will continue to handle this influx of cargo smoothly and with zero disruptions through the end of 2024.”
On the year, the Port of L.A. has logged nearly 4.9 million loaded imports and more than 1.38 million loaded exports. The Port of Long Beach totaled nearly 4.32 million loaded exports and nearly 1.11 million loaded exports at the end of November.
The increase in cargo can be attributed to the holiday season, as retail stores gear up for high numbers of customers needing more products than earlier in the year. Illustrating this, monthly year-over-year gains for both ports have consistently increased since the summer months.
“Retailers are keeping the shelves stocked and shoppers are able to purchase gifts for the holidays thanks to the outstanding efforts by our dedicated workforce and terminal operators,” said Long Beach Harbor Commission President Bonnie Lowenthal. “As we enter the new year, we will continue to deliver extraordinary customer service and build for a sustainable future.”
Container dwell times – that is, the period in which offloaded cargo waits to be loaded onto drayage trucks or railcars to leave the port complex – improved in November compared to October, although year-over-year performances were worse.
Truck-bound cargo dwell times compared to October were essentially flat and improved by hours, at 3.1 days; however, November 2023 had a dwell time of about 2.8 days.
Similarly, rail-bound cargo spent nearly 7.7 days before being loaded, a significant improvement from October’s 9.9 days; that said, November 2023 had rail dwell times averaging 3.9 days.
