advertisement

---

Total volume at the Port of Long Beach, Calif., last month declined 8.3 percent to 527,175 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) compared with September 2010.

Loaded inbound containers decreased 8.9 percent to 263,214 TEUs, loaded outbound containers dipped 4.7 percent to 118,214 TEUs and total empties dropped 10 percent to 145,747 TEUs.

“After experiencing record gains in 2010 and continued growth in the earlier part of the year, trade volumes have declined for three straight months as retailers appear to be taking a more cautious approach for the upcoming holiday season,” port officials said in a prepared statement. “Calendar year to date, imports are up 0.4 percent and exports are up 1.8 percent.”

Meanwhile, the Port of Los Angeles in September handled a total of 705,623 TEUs, down 0.8 percent year over year. Loaded inbound container volume inched down 0.2 percent to 372,655 TEUs, but loaded outbound volume jumped 26.6 percent to 176,954 TEUs. Total loaded container volume rose 7.1 percent to 549,609 TEUs and total empties plunged 21.4 percent to 156,014 TEUs.

Through 2011’s first nine months, the port handled 5.9 million TEUs, up 0.3 percent compared with the same 2010 period.