Cargo container handling at the port complex continues to show strong growth despite signs that the national economy is slowing, the Long Beach Press-Telegram reports.
Through the first two months, combined container traffic at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles increased more than 12 percent year-over-year, fueled primarily by big gains on the Los Angeles side.
Although retailers reported a slight drop last month in sales nationally, economists expect container throughput to climb another 10 percent in March – typically one of the weakest months for shipping.
Total throughput jumped 35 percent in Los Angeles in February from a year earlier and reflected continued strong growth in exports, which rose 23 percent for the month.
January figures showed total throughput reaching 691,602 twenty-foot equivalents in Los Angeles, an 11.5 percent increase from January 2006.
