The Port of Long Beach handled a record number of containers in March, and port congestion decreased

The congestion problem at the Port of Long Beach in the United States has always been one of the most troubling issues for sellers. In March this year, the number of container imports at the Port of Long Beach hit a record high, further highlighting that there is no off-season for US ports this year. However, as many dock workers have received COVID-19 vaccinations, the operational capacity of the entire port has also been improved to a certain extent. After several months of handling backlogs, the port's congestion has decreased.

Recently, data released by the Port of Long Beach showed that the Port of Long Beach handled a total of 840,387 TEUs last month, far exceeding the record of 815,885 TEUs set in December last year . Ben Hackett, founder of Hackett Associates, also said that congestion at U.S. ports is easing as container transporters and terminals adapt to the new normal.

"We are seeing the busiest February on record as the port works to clear the backlog and the number of vessels waiting to anchor in San Pedro Bay between Los Angeles and Long Beach is declining," Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero said in a previous statement.

After processing the backlog at full speed in February and March, the congestion near the Port of Long Beach is gradually receding. Compared with the previous 30 ships waiting near Los Angeles/Long Beach, the busiest port area in the United States, this number has dropped to 17 in recent days.

In previous years, March is usually one of the slowest months for maritime trade, as supply chain peaks are often directly linked to holidays in the United States and China, occurring before March.

But over the past nine months, several ports such as Long Beach have been flooded with cargo. Demand at U.S. ports has been strong throughout March, with more than 30 container ships anchored outside the Southern California port building at the height of the congestion, waiting for berths.

In March, imports at the Port of Long Beach increased 74% to 408,172 TEUs, while exports fell 3.9% year-over-year. Total container volume soared 62% from March of last year, the largest single-month year-over-year increase in the port's history. Even when compared to March 2019 data, Long Beach's container volume increased 52%. This is also the third time in the port's 110-year history that it has handled more than 800,000 shipping units.

“We haven’t seen import volumes this high in this long,” Jonathan Gold, NRF’s vice president of supply chain and customs policy, said in a statement. And the records have been broken multiple times, with numbers approaching these new records appearing almost every month.

Empty containers shipped through Long Beach surged 112.5% ​​in March, and the total number of empty containers, as well as empty containers leaving the port (270,016 TEUs), were also all-time highs for the port.

However, according to the National Retail Federation's monthly Global Port Tracker report released yesterday, the surge in imports at major U.S. container ports that began last summer will continue at least until this summer as retailers strive to meet growing consumer demand.  

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