POLA and POLB January volumes kick off solid start to 2021

January volumes for the Port of Los Angeles (POLA) and the Port of Long Beach (POLB) got 2020 off to a solid start, according to data respectively issued by the ports this month.

Total POLA volume—at 835,516 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units)—saw a 3.6% annual increase, marking the sixth straight month of annual volume gains, buoyed by ongoing strong COVID-19-related consumer spending activity and the one-way trade of imports.  

January imports—at 437,609 TEU—increased 5.5% annually, with exports—at 119,327 TEU—off 19.5% compared to January 2020, falling for the 25th time in the last 27 months. Empty containers, which the port said remain in high demand in Asia, saw a 14.5% annual gain, to 278,580 TEU.

Despite volumes being up for the sixth consecutive month, January’s tally fell short of the cumulative average of more than 908,000 TEU per month, as was the case over the last six months of 2020, which POLA Executive Director Gene Seroka called a “dramatic turnaround” compared to the first six months of 2020, which had an average of 627,000 TEU.

“In January, 87 container ships berthed at the Port of Los Angeles, including eight additional extra loaders to meet the high demand in Asia,” Seroka said on a media conference call yesterday. “There were no cancelled sailings for the month of January. We ended the month with 22 vessels anchored.”

Addressing January imports, Seroka explained that as American consumers have continued on their unprecedented buying surge, which started last summer, that has yet to slow down. On the export side, he called the January number dismal.

“The primary causes continue to be American trade policy, China retaliatory tariffs, and the value of the U.S. dollar making our goods more expensive to buy than from other countries,” he said. “And we are still witnessing a rush to get empty containers back to Asia and pre-positioned for the next round of imports. Once again, empty containers were more than double the amount of loaded exports on our docks. These empty containers remain in very high demand in Asia, creating a push to hurriedly fill vessels with as many exports and empty containers as possible before returning to Asia.”

Port of Long Beach data: Total POLB January volume came in at 764,006 TEU, for a 21.9% annual increase, for its highest-volume January on record, which it attributed to increased pandemic-related consumer spending.

What’s more, this marked the first time that POLB handled more than 700,000 TEU in the month of January, topping January 2018’s previous record by 106,176 TEU.

January POLB imports—at 364,255 TEU—increased 17.5% annually, and exports—at 116,254 TEU—saw a 7% annual gain. Empty containers saw a 34.65 increase, to 270,221 TEU.

“After the volatility with cargo volumes in 2020, we hope to see some stability and continued economic recovery over the next year as we remain focused on attracting business and building for the future,” said Mario Cordero, Executive Director of the Port of Long Beach, in a statement. “We remain focused on the health and safety of our dockworkers as they continue to unload a record-breaking amount of cargo from a surge of container vessels calling at the Port.”