Port of Long Beach Delivers Record First Quarter

Marine terminals at the Port of Long Beach handled a total of 3.87 million TEUs during the first three months of 2018, marking its best-ever first quarter.

For the three-month period ended March 31, the port’s volumes jumped by 19.1 percent compared to 3.25 million TEUs reported in the first quarter of 2017.

Loaded imports were up by 7.3 percent at 267,824 TEUs, while exports surged by 18.3% to 142,419 TEUs. The Port of Long Beach added that its empties increased by 21.9 percent, reaching 165,015 TEUs.

The port’s March throughput reached 575,258 TEUs, an increase of 13.8 percent compared to 505,382 TEUs seen in the same month last year.

“Our March cargo jumped despite the shipping slowdown during the Lunar New Year holiday in China,” Mario Cordero, Port of Long Beach Executive Director, said.

“One of the most encouraging signs throughout this surge in cargo last year and this year is the operational efficiency at our marine terminals. We are handling record levels of cargo with no delays,” Cordero added.