The Port of Long Beach reported May container volume totaling 583,588 20-foot-equivalent units, up 17.2 percent compared to the same month last year and the highest monthly container volume since October 2010.
Monthly exports, which increased 13.9 percent year-over-year to 147,073 TEUs, were also at the highest level since October 2010. Furthermore, imports in May rose 22.2 percent year-over-year to 305,498 TEUs, the highest volume since August 2010.
Meanwhile, monthly empty containers improved 10.2 percent to 131,017 TEUs compared to May 2012.
For the first five months of 2013, cargo container volume rose 17.2 percent year-over-year, including 19.3 percent growth in imports, 12.2 percent growth in exports and 18.9 percent more empties. The gains were driven by larger ships calling at the port more frequently and the addition of service lines starting in the last part of 2012, the port said in a written statement.
The Journal of Commerce