California’s Port of Long Beach has pointed to the demise of South Korean container shipping line Hanjinas an explanation for a 16.6 per cent year-over-year decline in container volumes over the month of September.
The port handled 546,805 TEUs last month. This included 282,945 TEUs in imports, down 15 per cent from September 2015. Exports dropped to 120,383 TEUs, a decrease of 4.2 per cent.
The performance came after Hanjinfiled for bankruptcy on 31 August and stopped accepting new cargo. Hanjin containers accounted for approximately 12.3 per cent of the port’s total containerised volume.
Port officials said the number of containers handled during September was impacted not only by reduced calls by Hanjin-operated ships, but also by the absence of Hanjin containers on vessels operated by fellow CKYHE Alliance members.
