The Port of Los Angeles saw activity drop for a second consecutive month in October, which officials said is the result of larger container ships able to carry more cargo on fewer ships.

Nearly 705,000 containers moved through the port in October, a 1.5 percent dip from the same month a year ago, according to figures released by the port Thursday. The number of imported containers slid 3.3 percent to about 358,600 containers compared to a year ago, while exports fell 14.7 percent to nearly 135,000 containers. The volume of empty containers, which are returned to overseas ports, rose 13.1 percent.

“The past few months of volumes around and above the 700,000 range show that our terminals, labor and supply chain partners are adjusting to the cargo surges and other fluctuations that come with the larger vessels that are now calling in Los Angeles,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka. “And that’s a good sign.”

Cargo volume over the past 10 months is down 2.7 percent compared to the year-ago period.

Meanwhile, at the adjacent Port of Long Beach, container cargo volume grew 6.3 percent in October.