Containerised cargo volumes at the Port of Los Angeles for October 2014 increased by 4.6 per cent to 715,682 TEUs compared with the year-earlier period.
The port welcomed the rise but said congestion issues at the port need to be addressed urgently.
“While increasing cargo volume is our objective, the congestion circumstances in recent months have caused delays for cargo owners that absolutely must and will be resolved,” the port’s executive direct Géne Seroka said. “We continue working with our customers and logistics partners to do everything possible to relieve the current situation and design solutions that will better enable the supply chain in the future.”
The port has agreed on a series of measures to ease the congestion, including a new chassis distribution model that will be implemented on 1 February.
“Additionally, port officials are working with stakeholders on short and long-term solutions to improve operational efficiencies and cargo velocity throughout the logistics chain,” the port said in a statement, adding that IT solutions were a central theme of the required designed improvements.
Overall volumes for the first ten months of 2014 have increased by 7.5 per cent compared with the same period of 2013, reflecting the conclusion of peak season volumes and larger vessels calling at the port.
Container imports rose by 7.2 per cent from 36,137 TEUs in October 2013 to 370,938 TEUs in October 2014. Exports fell by 6.7 per cent from 169,568 TEUs to 158,181 TEUs. US exports have declined due to weaker demand abroad and a stronger US dollar.
