The Port of Long Beach said that after a record year in 2010, containerized cargo traffic remained relatively flat last year due to the departure of one of its tenants, while remaining container terminals saw modest gains. Port shipping terminals moved a total of 6.1 million 20-foot equivalent containers (TEUs) last year, a drop of 3.2 percent compared to 2010. Imports were down 3.3 percent, and exports declined 3.6 percent.
California United Terminals, which vacated one of the port’s seven container terminals in late 2010, accounted for roughly a tenth of the port’s overall container traffic. Adjusting for CUT’s departure, the remaining six container terminals saw a gain of 8.1 percent in 2011. Imports were up 10.1 percent, and exports climbed 7.8 percent.
For the month of December, the port moved 509,944 TEUs, a 2.6 percent decrease compared to the same period a year ago, a more modest decline after months of double digit drops. Imports were down 3.2 percent to 248,609 TEUs, and exports were down 8.4 percent to 129,229 TEUs.
Adjusted for CUT’s departure, overall container traffic was up 1.7 percent in December in the remaining terminals compared to December 2010. Imports were up 1.8 percent, and exports were down 4.5 percent.
