Cargo volume at the Port of Los Angeles dropped 10.2 percent in February, compared with the same month a year ago, harbor officials said Tuesday.
Port officials attributed the decrease on congestion and supply chain issues amid contentious labor talks. A resolution has since been reached between the Pacific Maritime Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. The two sides agreed to a tentative labor agreement Feb. 20.
“Cargo flow has improved since the end of February and throughout March,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said. “ILWU labor is back strong at our terminals.”
He said the backlog of cargo that accumulated during the labor crisis was being aided by a new chassis fleet , along with testing of “Cargomatic,” which is aimed at more efficiently dispatching trucks to terminals.
“Additionally, the Federal Maritime Commission’s approval of a working agreement is enabling the San Pedro Bay ports to convene stakeholders in the coming weeks to discuss additional solutions that will put this backlog behind us,” Seroka said.
Imports in February were down 10.7 percent, to 254,225 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units, or TEUs, from 284,812 TEUs last year. Exports fell 10.3 percent, from 146,925 TEUs to 131,806 TEUs.
The total volume of loaded imports and exports was down by 10.6 percent, going from 431,738 TEUs last year to 386,031 TEUs. Once empty containers are added in, cargo volumes dropped a total of 10.2 percent.
— City News Service