Coming on the heels of record volumes in January, Port of Los Angeles cargo traffic decreased in February compared to 2016. The timing of the Lunar New Year resulted in a significant amount of cargo being shipped in January rather than February.

February container volumes of 625,381 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) decreased 12.4 percent compared to the record February 2016 volumes of 713,721 TEUs, which were 42 percent higher than 2015. Compared to the Port's most recent 5-year average of February container volumes, February 2017 volumes were up 7.2 percent.

"While volumes eased compared to the record cargo we saw last February, I'm pleased that we've seen year-over-year growth to start 2017, said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka. We are actively engaged on many fronts to grow cargo volumes -- and jobs -- in the San Pedro Bay.

For the first two months of 2017, Port volumes have increased 2.3 percent compared to the same period last year.

February 2017 imports dropped 19.8 percent to 298,974 TEUs compared to the previous year. Exports increased 6.1 percent to 155,357 TEUs. Total loaded volumes of 454,332 TEUs fell 12.5 percent compared to the previous year. Empty containers slipped 12.1 percent to 171,048 TEUs.

The Port of Los Angeles is America's premier port and has a strong commitment to developing innovatively strategic and sustainable operations that benefit Southern California's economy and quality of life. North America's leading seaport by container volume and cargo value, the Port of Los Angeles facilitated $272 billion in trade during 2016. San Pedro Bay port complex operations and commerce facilitate one in nine jobs in the five-county Southern California region.