The US ports of Oakland and Long Beach have turned in positive cargo handling results, breaking records along the way.
Long Beach closed out its 2018 fiscal year - which ran from 1 October 2017 to 30 September this year - having handled just over 8m TEUs, a 10.7 per cent increase year-on-year and a new high benchmark.
“We are poised to break our calendar year record at the end of December,” said Port of Long Beach executive director Mario Cordero. “Despite the tariffs imposed by Washington and Beijing, international trade is showing resilience, and at our port we are providing a conduit for commerce that’s efficient for our customers and getting their cargo to destinations faster, saving them money.”
Meanwhile, the port of Oakland has recorded the busiest September for import cargo in its 91-year history, following on from the all-time record set in August.
The port said it handled the equivalent of 168,289 20-foot loaded import containers in the past two months, breaking the previous August-September record of 158,320 20-foot loaded import containers set back in 2006.
One more month of import growth could give Oakland its busiest peak season in port history.
“We’re encouraged by this outcome and guardedly optimistic that the trend will continue throughout peak season,” said Port of Oakland maritime director John Driscoll. “Economic indicators lead us to believe that import volumes should remain healthy.”
