Container volumes at the US ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach rose in May as shippers fearful of labour disruption sent goods to retail outlets before the contract between longshoremen and terminal operators expires on July 1, according to Shipping Gazette.
Los Angeles handled 689,141 TEU in May, an 8.2 per cent increase compared to the same month a year earlier. Long Beach handled 600,000 TEU, a 2.7 per cent year-on-year increase, and the busiest May since 2007.
LA handled 351,403 container imports, up 7.75 per cent, and exported 158,473 boxes in May, an increase of 2.3 per cent year on year.
Combined, total loaded imports and exports rose six per cent from 481,019 TEU in May 2013 to 509,876 TEU in May 2014. Empties were up 15 per cent year on year.
In the first five months of the year, cargo rose by eight per cent, partly due to uncertainty over contract negotiations between the Pacific Maritime Association that represents west coast employees.
The contract talks started in May and are expected to go beyond the July 1 expiry date, at which point a legal strike is a possibility. In response, retailers have been shipping early to ensure they are stocked for the back-to-school sales.
About 312,439 TEU flowed into Long Beach, a 2.3 per cent increase in imports year on year, while exports dipped slightly at 0.3 per cent with 146,702 TEU. Empties were up 7.1 per cent at 140,368 TEU.
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