Cargo decline at the Port of Long Beach

As reported on our, previous article, China sanctions have the possibility of affecting the cargo imports and exports from/to the U.S. At the Port of Long Beach, it has been reported that, “Tariffs continue to impact cargo traffic at the Port of Long Beach, where volumes declined in June compared to the same month in 2018. Last June was the busiest month in the Port’s 108-year history and capped the busiest second quarter during the busiest year ever.”

There are many factors that can play a role on shipments this summer: ongoing “trade war” with China, tariffs, and summer slump. Summer slump is the name used to describe the decrease in shipping activity, which is common in the maritime industry, during the summer time. 

Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero says, “For 2019, it seems that the cargo is all here and warehouses are filled. That’s disrupting container movement and the growth we would normally see this time of year.” This was in comparison to the ports 2018 decrease in volume at the same time last year. 

The latest monthly cargo numbers can be found here.

More detailed cargo numbers are at www.polb.com/stats.

By Alejandra Salgado