Americas News
February Cargo Volumes Fall 20% at Port of Long Beach in Wake of West Coast Labour Dispute
The Port of Long Beach moved 20.1 percent fewer containers in February compared to the year before, largely due to congestion, the port announced Tuesday.
It was reported in February that wait times for unloading cargo off large containerships in U.S. West Coast ports had reached several weeks, as work stoppages and slowdowns from a labour dispute worsened congestion problems.
In total, 413,114 TEUs of cargo moved through the port, with imports seeing a 24.7 percent decrease and exports falling 22.9 percent.
The port said that congestion problems had worsened in February compared to January, which also saw an 18.8 percent drop in container moves.
Outlook is also expected to improve given the end of the labour dispute late last month.
"Federal regulators granted permission for Long Beach and its neighbor the Port of Los Angeles to collaborate on congestion relief, and private chassis fleets in the region agreed to pool their resources," the port said.
However, it was reported earlier this month that U.S. West Coast ports may continue to experience difficulties in the longer term given that some shippers have already permanently rerouted voyages to other ports of call.
