Los Angeles, Long Beach port traffic results for May
June 17, 2009 by Splatty
Filed under Seafreight
The May volume numbers for the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles are in and they show another significant decrease.
Container imports for the port of Los Angeles, the nation’s busiest port, were down 18.4 percent compared to the same time period in 2008 while exports showed a decrease of 7.06 percent. Reasons for the decline according the Port of Los Angeles website are as follows:
CONTRIBUTING FACTORS
* May 2009 imports are greater than April 2009 due to lower warehouse inventory levels, showing some signs of improvement
* May 2009 exports is the highest for the year and greater than April 2009 due to stronger exports of raw materials
* Higher volumes May 2009 vs. May 2008 from China Shipping (service shift from POLB)
* Negative volumes from other terminal customers due to smaller vessels in the current deployment , fewer vessel calls in 2009 and vessel deployment modifications due to the weaker economyONGOING FACTORS
* Weak global economy continues to impact global trade
* Consumer confidence and spending not as strong at early 2008
* With lower imports, the export of empty containers continues to remain low
At the neighboring port of Long Beach, container imports were down 22 percent with export volume down 23.8 percent. Again, these percentages are compared with May of 2008 numbers.
According to a report from the LATimes, port recovery could take place later this year.
For complete access to the port statistics, visit the following links:
Port of Los Angeles
Port of Long Beach
Nicole on Wed, 12th Aug 2009 10:27 am
I wanted to know if anyone else has been having a problem with delays in LAX/LongBeach with customs. We brought a 40′ container into LAX and it arrived at the port on July 26. They were put on a manifest hold, and then on 7/31 was set up for an MET exam. It is now 8/12, and it has not been moved to the exam site yet. We are $1400 is storage fees as of today. Not including exam fees. Our forwarder is trying to tread lightly so we don’t “upset” anyone, but of course this product was due to our customers 3 weeks ago, and we are losing orders. This is the kind of delays that can really hurt small businesses especially in this economy. I appreciate anyones feedback, or point in the right direction for answers/comfort!