POLBs Container Volumes Still Affected By Hanjin Woes

Port of Long Beach US Port of Long Beachs (POLB) container volumes are still hit by the Hanjin Shippings bankruptcy as the port recorded a 6.2 percent decrease in its October throughput, compared to the same month last year. A total of 581,808 TEUs were moved through docks in October 2016, against 619,983 TEUs in the same period last year, the ports data shows. Export TEUs were 1.2 percent down, relatively flat compared to last October, to 126,770 TEUs. Total imports were 296,711 TEUs October 2016, compared to 307,995 TEUs seen in the same month last year, a decrease of 3.7 percent. In 2015, Hanjin Shipping containers accounted for approximately 12.3 percent of the port’s total containerized volume. The port recently acted to clear a backlog of empty containers related to the Hanjin bankruptcy, freeing a significant number of chassis to speed the flow of cargo through the Southern California supply chain. In September, POLBs container throughput declined 16.6 percent, as the effects of the Hanjins bankruptcy reached West Coast ports. During the first ten months of this year, POLB handled a total of 5.69 million TEUs, representing a year-to-date decrease of 4.8 percent.