Cargo container volumes surged through the Port of Long Beach in July, jumping 18.4 percent from a year ago and making July a record month in the port’s 104-year history.
Previously, the port’s best year was 2007, just before the recession hit in 2008. After a slow start at the beginning of the year, the gains in July mark the fourth time in the last five months that cargo totals have climbed significantly higher, said the Port of Long Beach.
The port’s terminals moved 690,244 20-foot equivalent container units (TEUs) in July. Imports rose 16.2 percent from a year earlier to 345,912 TEUs, while exports grew 15.9 percent to 143,875 TEUs despite the stronger U.S. dollar, which has made U.S. exports relatively expensive overseas.