Port of Los Angeles said it processed 889,746 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) in November, an increase of 22% compared to November 2019 due to combination of increased consumer spending, holiday shipments and replenishment of warehouse inventories has resulted in an unprecedented surge of cargo in recent months.
“Since August, monthly cargo volume has averaged almost 930,000 TEUs,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka. “It’s unusual to see this kind of import activity this late in the year. But 2020 has been anything but normal.
Robust growth in the next months
“With consumers continuing to stay at home and purchase goods rather than services, we expect robust activity on our docks to continue for at least several months,” Seroka added.
Year to date, overall cargo volume is 3% lower compared to 2019 as Port of Los Angeles saw cargo plummet "nearly 19%" in the first five months of 2020 compared to last year due to the onslaught of the coronavirus disease.
Since then, America's busiest seaport said imports from Asia have been coming at a record pace while US exports have decreased 23 of the last 25 months at the Port.
To help stakeholders manage the cargo influx, he said Port of LA has introduced new data tools for asset planning, provided additional land for chassis and containers, and is working with cargo owners large and small to prioritize their shipments.
November saw loaded imports reached 464,820 TEUs at the Port compared to November 2019. Loaded exports decreased 5.5% to 130,917 TEUs.
Port of Los Angeles said exports during the period have decreased 23 of the last 25 months. Empty containers, heavily in demand in Asia, increased 34.2% compared to November 2019, reaching 294,010 TEUs.
Eighty eight cargo vessels arrived in November, including nine extra loaders. There were no canceled sailings.