The backlog of ships outside the Port of Los Angeles has decreased, the cargo handling volume has set a record, and the congestion of the Eastern United States ports is still serious
The Port of Los Angeles released its March container throughput report on Tuesday, which came in better than expected at 958,674 TEU. It was the port's best March ever for container throughput figures. In the first quarter of this year, total cargo volume at the Port of Los Angeles reached 2,682,034 TEU, an increase of 3.5% over the same period last year, completing the best first quarter ever. The month-on-month surge in imports was particularly pronounced. Import shipments in March were up 17% from February and 29% from December, which was at its lowest level since June 2020, when the U.S. was in lockdown. Gene Serok, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, said in announcing the monthly data that in March 2022, container imports reached 495,196 TEU, up 1% year-on-year; container exports were 11,781 TEU, down 9% year-on-year. Exports from the Port of Los Angeles have declined in 37 of the past 41 months. Record volumes of freight have been stuck in ships lining up outside ...