The port of Los Angeles has reported the busiest April in its 110-year history. The result was already affected by the start of the new alliances in the container shipping industry.
Cargo volumes rose 8.9 % at the West Coast hub, which is as well the busiest container port in the[ds_preview] U.S. According to an official release, it was the best April in the Port’s 110-year history. For the first four months of 2017, cargo has increased, too, by 10 % to 2016, which already was a record-breaking year for the Port.
A lot of North American ports benefit from the opening of the widened Panama Canal. For Los Angeles, the new structure of the global container liner business seems to have a positive effect as well. »April was the first month of new vessel alliance deployments around the globe, and we are pleased that the Port of Los Angeles provided world-class service and efficiency at our terminals,« said Executive Director Gene Seroka.
L.A. as well as other ports look quite optimistic into the future, but with an eye on necessary investments. »We continue to seek new ways to improve operations, such as our new partnership with GE Transportation that will allow data access to our stakeholders that has never been seen before in our industry.«
The April tally of 714,755 TEU is the the strongest April in the Port’s 110-year history, eclipsing the April 2012 record of 707,182 TEUs. The Port’s most recent five-year average of April container volumes is 674,540 TEUs, and this year’s volumes represent a 6 % increase over the five-year average.
Imports increased 8.3 % to 372,040 TEU compared to the previous year. Exports increased 9.4 % to 157,661 TEU. Total loaded volumes of 529,702 TEU increased 8.6 % compared to the previous year. Empty containers grew 9.8 % to 185,052 TEU.
