Port of Los Angeles cargo pace cools in September
With high levels of retail and other inventory already on shelves and in warehouses, cargo volume at the Port of Los Angeles eased again in September. The Port handled 709,873 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) in September 2022, a 21.5% decrease from September 2021, which was the Port’s busiest September on record.
Closing out the third quarter, the Port of Los Angeles has processed 7,864,514 TEUs during the first nine months of 2022, about 4% down from last year’s record pace.
“Despite what will likely be a soft ending to 2022, we are on track to have the second-best year in our history,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said at a media briefing. “More importantly, the cargo backlog that began last year has been nearly eliminated due to the diligent, combined efforts of our supply chain partners.”
Seroka was joined at the briefing by Jay Timmons, President and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers. Timmons discussed the critical role the Port plays in delivering parts and components to factories throughout America.
September 2022 loaded imports reached 343,462 TEUs, down 27% compared to the previous year. Loaded exports came in at 77,680 TEUs, up 3% compared to last September. Empty containers landed at 288,731 TEUs, a 20% decline compared to last year.