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PORT OF LA REPORTS "RECORD" VOLUMES AMID ONGOING PORT CONGESTION ISSUES
October 20, 2021
The Port of Los Angeles reported "record" volumes for September amid the ongoing port congestion issues at America's busiest container cargo port.
In a statement, the port said it processed 903,865 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) in September, the busiest September ever in the Port’s 114-year history. Year to date, overall cargo volume stands at 8,176,917 TEUs, an increase of 26% compared to 2020.
“Despite the global supply chain challenges, the Port of Los Angeles and its partners continue to deliver record amounts of cargo,” commented Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka.
Rail cited for reducing backlog
Seroka noted that BNSF Railway — the largest freight railroad network in North America — and Union Pacific, the second largest railroad in the US.
“Of particular note is the great work by BNSF and Union Pacific, which have reduced the rail backlog in half in the last month and by two-thirds over the last two months,” Seroka said.
“We’ve got more work to do but we’ve made significant progress due to the collaborative efforts with our Class 1 railroads.”
September 2021 loaded imports reached 468,059 TEUs, about the same amount compared to the previous year. Loaded exports dropped 42% to 75,714 TEUs compared to the same period last year. It was the lowest number of exports since 2002.
Empty containers at Port of LA also climbed to 360,092 TEUs, a jump of 28% compared to last year due to the continued demand in Asia.
In total, September’s 903,865 TEUs was 2.3% above last September’s previous record of 883,625 TEUs, the port added.
Earlier this month, Port of LA has announced that the Port of Los Angeles, among others, will begin operating 24/7 in an effort to ease the continuing supply chain jam caused by the cargo ship bottleneck in the country's major ports.
