Long Beach Container Traffic Up Strongly in November, Flat for Year

Container imports at the Port of Long Beach rose 20.2 percent in November, and exports were up 24.6 percent compared to the same period a year ago, port officials said. Port terminals handled 555,513 twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs) overall, up 20.8 percent from November 2011, as more ocean carriers added services to Long Beach in recent months. After mostly declining traffic in the middle of the year, the late boost helped bring Port cargo volumes closer to 2011 levels, they said. For the first 11 months of the year, imports are virtually flat compared to the same period a year ago, down 0.3 percent, and exports are up 2 percent. Overall container volume was down 1.2 percent through November due mainly to a decline in empty container traffic, which is down 5.9 percent in the same period.