Long Beach port shattered monthly volume record in June

In June, the Port of Long Beach, California, handled 752,188 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs), the highest monthly volume in its 107-year history.

The new high-water mark was 4.4 percent greater than the previous monthly record of 720,312 TEUs set in July 2017 and 14.2 percent higher than the 658,727 TEUs registered in June 2017.

Last month, imports climbed 14.5 percent to 384,095 TEUs, exports soared 14.3 percent to 135,168 TEUs and empty container volume grew 13.6 percent to 232,926 TEUs.

Year to date through June, the port handled nearly 4 million TEUs, about 14.5 percent above the volume pace set in 2017, its busiest-ever year. June also capped the port's best second quarter since it set a record in 2006. The port logged 2.1 million TEUs in 2Q, up 10 percent year over year.

"We are on track to beat our historic pace from 2017," said Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero in a press release. "The domestic and global economies are good, which is why we're seeing all of this activity. Certainly the escalating trade tensions have everyone in the industry concerned, but we're going to continue to provide excellent customer service and fulfill our mission of facilitating commerce."

The port is served by Pacific Harbor Line Inc., BNSF Railway Co. and Union Pacific Railroad.