Long Beach January throughput drops 23%
PORT of Long Beach throughput figures for January add to the mountain of woeful statistics for the container sector, with a year-on-year fall of 23% for inbound containers. Loaded inbound figures fell to 200,588 teu -- the lowest level in five years -- while loaded outbound containers dropped 27% to 88,510 teu. The fall in inbound containers is lower than the month of December, when a 27% fall was recorded. Throughput from the port of Long Beach reflects the mostly transpacific trade from Asia to the west coast of North America, a key employer of larger containerships.