The Port of Long Beach began 2022 with its busiest January on record, ending a four-month streak of declines amid a historic pandemic-triggered surge in cargo. Last month, dock workers and terminal operators at the Port of Long Beach transported a total of 800,943 TEUs, up 4.8 percent from last year's record January. It is also the first time since August 2021 that the port has handled more than 800,000 TEUs in the face of efforts to clean up containers from shipping terminals.
The Port of Long Beach imports rose 6.9 percent to 389,334 TEUs in January, while exports rose 5.9 percent to 123,060 TEUs. Empty containers grew by 1.8% to 288,550 TEUs. Prior to the monthly record, the Port of Long Beach recorded more than 9.3 TEUs handled in 2021. The port attributed a strong start to 2022 to efforts to successfully move aging cargo out of the terminal, which hampered throughput, leading to a year-on-year decline in throughput from September to December.
Mario Cordero, executive director of the Port of Long Beach, said: "The terminal capacity is finally open thanks to the support of our federal and state leadership, collaboration with industry partners, and the hard work of the men and women who ship record cargo out of the terminal." "As we make significant progress in clearing the docks and dealing with the backlog of vessels on shore, we expect to remain moderately busy as we head into the spring."
Long Beach said that while February is the traditional off-season for import activities as overseas factories are closed for Lunar New Year celebrations, the month may be busier than normal as work continues to reduce congestion.
According to the Southern California Ocean Exchange, the vessel backlog has dropped from a peak backup of 109 container ships on Jan. 9, 2022, to about 90 vessels.
San Pedro Bay ports, which include Long Beach and Los Angeles, also reported a total 68 percent drop in aging cargo on the docks since the announcement of the "container stay fee" at the end of October. The plan, which has not yet been implemented and continues to be delayed, will charge shipping companies for containers that stay on the terminal for too long.
Figures released Thursday by the Port of Long Beach showed about 10,000 imported containers staying at the terminal, down from more than 20,000 at the end of last year. Whether the improvement in statistics reflects an alleviation of supply chain congestion or a shorter boost after the peak season. It really depends on how optimistic you are. In its monthly update, Long Beach said inventory buildup at the end of 2021 indicates a easing of supply chain congestion, meaning consumers will have more products to buy this spring. The Port of Los Angeles is expected to report its January data shortly.