Strongest September on record at Port of Long Beach

The Port of Long Beach achieved its busiest September on record, boosted by consumer demand for holiday-related goods, recent ratification of a labour pact between dockworkers and management and an on-going effort to showcase the business attributes of the port/

Dockworkers and terminal operators moved 829,429 TEUs in September, up 12 percent from the same month last year and surpassing the previous record set in September 2020 (78,849 TEUs), says an official release. September also marked the Port’s first monthly year-over-year cargo increase in 14 months.

While imports rose 19 percent to 408,926 TEUs, exports declined 10 percent to 101,248 TEUs. Empty containers moving through the Port was up 11 percent to 319,255 TEUs.

“Consumer confidence is on the rise and shippers can rely on the Port of Choice now that we have a ratified contract in place with our waterfront workforce,” says Mario Cordero, CEO, Port of Long Beach. “We look forward to a moderate rebound in cargo volume through the end of the year.”

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) announced a tentative agreement on June 14, and dockworkers of the ILWU ratified the six-year contract on August 31.

The port moved 5,822,666 TEUs during the first nine months of 2023, down 21 percent from the same period last year. Cargo volume this year has been on pace with pre-pandemic levels when the Port of Long Beach moved more than 5.7 million TEUs through September 2019.

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