Following the Los Angeles port’s record results in the first quarter of the year, the Port of Long Beach (POLB) has reported its busiest March and its most active quarter on record as long-dwelling cargo continued to move out of marine terminals.
The Californian port has handled 863,156 TEU in March, which translates to an increase of 2.7% compared to March 2021. Imports at the port reached 427,280 TEU, corresponding to a year-on-year rise of 4.6%, while exports saw a decline of 18.3% compared to the previous March, falling to 114,185 TEU.
“Imports are on the rise as we continue to clear the line of ships waiting to enter our port and move containers off the docks,” said POLB executive director, Mario Cordero.
At the same time, the empty containers moved through the US West Coast port represented a growth of 10%, totalling 321,691 TEU, according to POLB’s data.
Although port officials claim that March is traditionally one of the slowest months on the shipping calendar, the port during this month was busy amid efforts to clear cargo from the docks and reduce the number of vessels waiting to enter the port complex.
Furthermore, during the first three months of 2022, the second busiest port in the United States achieved its busiest quarter in history by moving a total of more than 2.46 million TEU, breaking the previous record set in the fourth quarter of 2020.
