The Port of Long Beach reported an 18 percent increase in loaded container traffic in January, led by a 22 percent surge in exports.

According to figures released late Tuesday, 293,855 loaded standard containers entered the port in January, up 16 percent from January 2005. Loaded containers for export reached 99,740, up 22 percent from a year earlier.

These increases come on top of an overall 14 percent rise in loaded container traffic passing through the Port of Long Beach in 2005.

Rising trade volume with Asia is behind the increases. Imports from China to North America rose 20 percent in 2005, while North American exports to China climbed 18 percent.