Empty containers in Los Angels have climbed by 20.4% to 329,999TEU in July, compared to last year, due to the continued demand in Asia, while exports have fallen for another one month to 91,440TEU, a record-low since 2005 and a significant 27.6% decrease compared with July 2020.

Except for March and May, the Port of Los Angeles has seen year-on-year decreases in its exports during all the other months of 2021.

On the other hand, the imports of the Port of Los Angeles (POLA) have marked a slight growth of 2.9% in July, compared to the previous year, reaching 469,361TEU.

The major Californian port processed a total of 890,800TEUs in July, which represents a 4% increase compared to the same month last year.

“Last summer is when US consumer purchasing began to build momentum and was the start of 12 consecutive months of year-over-year growth at the port,” said POLA in its announcement.

“This remarkable, sustained import surge is pushing the supply chain to new levels,” pointed out POLA Executive Director, Gene Seroka, who went on to note, “With space tight at warehouses, rail yards and container terminals as we enter the traditional ‘peak’ shipping season, we are offering new data tools and incentives to help improve throughput and efficiencies.”

Seven months into the 2021 calendar year, the overall cargo volume is more than 6.3 million TEU, which translates to an increase of 36.8% compared to 2020.