The Port of Long Beach began 2012 on a down note, with containerized imports in January declining 5.5 percent and exports 8.2 percent lower year-over-year. Total container volume, including empties, was down 3.9 percent from January 2011.
The numbers reflect the loss in 2011 of Hyundai Merchant Marine and its terminal operator, California United Terminals, which moved next door to the Port of Los Angeles. Hyundai had represented about 10 percent of Long Beach’s total container volume.
As a result of Hyundai’s move, Los Angeles’s monthly numbers have been running higher, while those at Long Beach have been lower on a year-over-year basis. Los Angeles, which reported its January container volume on Wednesday, was up more than 5 percent inbound, outbound and in total container volume.
When viewed as a single port complex, Los Angeles-Long Beach in January registered a 1 percent increase in containerized imports and a 1 percent decrease in exports. Total container volume for the port complex increased 2 percent compared to January 2011.
The Journal of Commerce Online
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