Port of Los Angeles container volumes up 60% in Feb

The Port of Los Angeles handled 781,434 teu in February this year compared to 487,846 teu in February 2023.

“Market confidence in our gateway is as strong as it’s ever been,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka at a media briefing. “We’ve got the world’s best longshore workforce eager to work with a long-term contract in place. And our current operational data indicates that cargo is flowing efficiently, with additional capacity available.

The port reported loaded imports of 408,764 teu in February 2024 up 64% compared to the previous year and loaded exports of 132,755 teu, an increase of 61% increase.

The beginning of last year marked a steep decline in volumes as shippers undertook inventory destocking post pandemic. The US West Coast gateway port was also reeling from the impact of services diverted to US East Coast ports to avoid the severe congestion experienced at the Port of LA and other West Coast ports during the Covid pandemic as well as the threat of strikes later in 2023 if a new labour deal was not struck with the unions.

However, in the last 12 months a combination of a restrictions at the Panama Canal due to low water levels and the Red Sea Crisis forcing vessels from Asia bound for the US East Coast to divert from the Suez Canal to the Cape of Good Hope have helped to bring services back to the US West Coast.

Related:Port of LA handles 13% less containers in 2023

Volumes in February 2024 though remain well below the peaks seen in 2021 – 2022, and in the same month in 2022 the Port of LA handled 857,764 teu.

For the first two months of 2023 the port handled a total of 1.64 million teu, a 35% increase over 2023.