POLA and POLB September volumes hit record or near-record levels

September volumes, for the Port of Los Angeles (POLA) and the Port of Long Beach (POLB), came in at record, or near-record levels, according to data respectively issued by each port.

Total POLA volume—at 898,941 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units)—posted a 1.7% annual gain, marking the best September in the port’s 114-year history, topping the previous high set in 2020 by nearly 2%. POLA said that the final September TEU tally will change slightly, as the TEU count from one ship is still pending.

“The cargo surge we have experienced for more than a year continues,” said POLA Executive Director Gene Seroka on a media conference call this week. “The surge continues to be driven by the American consumer, which is good news for our economy. We have been averaging more than 900,000 container units for the past 14 consecutive months. The duration of this cargo run is quite remarkable.”

What’s more Seroka said POLA averaged 17 ships at berth daily in September, which is 70% higher than pre-pandemic days, according to Seroka. And he said POLA welcomed 83 container vessels, including 15 extra loaders, which he said shows the strength of the U.S. import market.

POLA September imports came in at around 466,000 TEU, down 1.2% from September 2020. Contributing factors cited by Seroka for another strong import volume month included savvy retailers that have been bringing in year-end holiday goods since June, as well as Halloween retail sales breaking records 30 days before Halloween, which is on October 31.

Conversely, though, he noted that U.S. exports continue to slide, falling 41.9% annually, to 75,082 TEU.

“We have not seen this low of an export number since 2002,” said Seroka. “Exports have not declined in 31 of the last 35 months here in Los Angeles, and the ratio of imports-to-exports came in at a high of 6:1, the widest monthly gap we can recall here at POLA. This is obviously an area of great concern, and we have talked about this at the federal, state, and, local level. We need to create policy and incentives to get our American exporters back in the game.”

POLA empty containers continued their high demand for Transpacific imports back to the U.S., said Seroka, rising 26.8% annually, to 356,963 TEU.

On a year-to-date basis through September, total POLA volumes are up 26.4% annually, to 8,171,993 TEU.

POLB data: The Port of Long Beach reported that total September volume, at 748,472 TEU, posted its second-best September over, decreasing 5.9% annually compared to September 2020, the highest-volume September for the port.

Imports—at 370,230 TEU—fell 8.7% annually, and exports—at 110,787 TEU—fell 1.6%, for the same period. Empty containers—at 267,456 TEU—were down 3.6%.

On a year-to-date basis through September, POLB volume is up 24.3% annually, to 7,094,849 TEU, and POLB said that it is on track to move more than 9 million TEU, which would top the current record, of 8.1 million TEU set in 2020.  

“We are having capacity issues due to the unprecedented number of containers waiting to move off the terminals, while warehouses have little to no room to accommodate this ongoing spike in cargo moving through our port,” said Mario Cordero, Executive Director of the Port of Long Beach, in a statement. “This is not just about a record number of ships waiting off the coast. We are working with state, federal, local and industry partners to address issues with the entire supply chain that have finally caught up with us.”