Posted on June 30, 2021
The nation’s ports remained very busy in May, as high shipment volume continued to flow through facilities on both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts at a record-setting pace.
Volume at the Port of Los Angeles — the country’s busiest port — soared 74% to 1,012,047 20-foot equivalent units moved, compared with 581,664 TEUs a year ago. It was the first time a Western Hemisphere port has handled more than 1 million TEUs in a month, and was the 10th consecutive month of container volume increases for the facility.
“Our longshore labor shifts are up 20% versus the three-year average,” said Gene Seroka, the port’s executive director. “And our vessel productivity is up 50% — all during this surge — as we grappled with COVID-19.”
The port will close out its fiscal year 2020-2021 on June 30, and Seroka said it is on track to finish the year with volume of 10.8 million TEUs. If it hits that mark, it will be the first time a Western Hemisphere port eclipses 10 million TEUs in a 12-month period.
The rising number of ships calling on the port has driven up volume; officials said they’re averaging 15 ships per day, compared with 10 ships pre-pandemic.
The adjacent Port of Long Beach also had a record-setting May, processing 907,216 TEUs compared with 628,205 the year before — a 44% increase. May was the busiest month in the port’s 110-year history.
“We are seeing a demand for more goods as the country continues to open up and people return to work,” Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero said.
Combined, the two facilities processed 1,919,263 containers in May.
The Port of Oakland also had a strong May, as workers loaded and unloaded 226,406 containers compared with 185,595 a year ago, a 22% increase.
Through the end of May, the port has processed 1.08 million containers, an all-time high, and is on track to handle a record-setting 2.6 million TEUs for the full year.
“We’re in uncharted waters; record cargo volume coming through U.S. West Coast ports and a pandemic issue at a port in China are creating vessel congestion in both regions,” Port of Oakland Maritime Director Bryan Brandes said.
The facility took delivery of a 170-foot ship-to-shore crane that will enable it to load and unload larger ships. The crane is expected to be operational by late summer.
The Northwest Seaport Alliance, which operates facilities in Seattle; Tacoma, Wash.; Alaska and Hawaii, saw volume jump 38.4% to 333,026 TEUs compared with 240,641 in May 2020. Like Oakland, the NWSA is expanding, taking delivery of four super-post Panamax cranes for Terminal 5 in the Seattle Harbor. The cranes are among the largest on the West Coast and will be operational by early 2022.
In the Gulf of Mexico, Port Houston in Texas processed 288,127 TEUs, up nearly 30% from 222,250 a year ago. It was its best-ever May result.
On the East Coast, the Port of New York/New Jersey moved 796,693 TEUs, a 23.8% increase above last May and its 10th consecutive monthly gain. It is the nation’s third-busiest port.
The Port of Virginia also set a May record, moving 314,942 containers for a 56% gain above 201,837 last year. During the month, the CMA CMG Marco Polo called on the port. Carrying more than 16,000 containers, it is the largest-ever vessel to dock there.
The CMA CGM Theodore Roosevelt, carrying 14,400 TEUs, also called on Virginia last month.
Georgia’s Port of Savannah reported its second-best month ever on volume of 478,621 containers, up 42% from 337,359 last year. With one month left in its fiscal year, port officials said the facility is on track to surpass annual volume of 5 million TEUs for the first time in its history.
South Carolina’s Port of Charleston finished May with its second-strongest monthly volume ever, processing 230,870 containers, a 36% gain compared with 169,705 TEUs a year ago. Officials also approved a $349 million capital improvement budget, which includes plans to expand to handle larger ships and a new chassis pool.
The Port of Baltimore reported its second-best month on record, moving 94,335 TEUs compared with 77,527 last May, a nearly 22% increase. The port is also nearing the completion of a major dredging project that will deepen its shipping channel.
