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International trade will continue to grow this year while structural changes transform the shipping industry over the long term, said supply chain and logistics experts March 30 during a panel discussion at the Port of Long Beach’s annual “Pulse of the Ports: Peak Season Forecast” event in downtown Long Beach, Calif.

The panelists predicted that trade will increase more modestly this year vs. 2010’s double-digit gains in 2010. Longer term, the industry will undergo “profound changes” that will transform the way goods are transported globally, they said, according to a news item about the event posted on the port’s website.

Railroads are modernizing their facilities to meet increasing global demand and compete more efficiently, while trucking companies are “greening” their fleets to meet environmental standards, the panelists said.

Meanwhile, the expansion of the Panama Canal, which is slated for completion by 2014, “will be a game changer, but the change will happen gradually,” said Dan Smith, a principal at consulting firm The Tioga Group.

“They are not building for trade volumes in 2014. They are building for trade volumes in 2030,” he said.

The Port of Long Beach plans to spend $4 billion on its facilities during the next decade to accommodate increased demand generated by the Panama Canal expansion.