LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The Port of Long Beach announced today that last month was its busiest February on record with a 43.3% increase from the previous February.
The port's dockworkers and terminal operators moved 771,735 twenty-foot equivalent units during the month, and the increase was the 110-year-old port's largest year-over-year increase for a single month.
“The supply chain workforce is giving its all to keep the cargo moving, even as their ranks are hit by the pandemic. New records are being set, demonstrating how busy they have been,'' said Mario Cordero, executive director of the Port of Long Beach. “We understand that shippers are awaiting their cargo, and we are collaborating with our industry partners to deliver shipments as quickly as possible.''
It was also the first time the port handled more than 700,000 TEUs in the month of February, officials said. The previous record was in February 2018, when the port moved 109,945 TEUs.
February is typically a slow month, according to officials, because east Asian factories close for up to two weeks during the Lunar New Year. However, this year, factories in China largely worked through the holiday due to back orders and an increase in demands from people in the United States ordering items online.
Imports increased 50.3% to 373,756 TEUs, but exports declined 4.9% to 119,415 TEUs, according to port officials. The port also experienced a 69.6% increase in empty containers that moved through the port with 278,563 TEUs.
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