The port of Long Beach looks ahead
At the recent annual state of the port address executive director Mario Cordero was delighted to announce that 2019 had been the port of Long Beach's second-busiest year on record with a throughput of more than 7.6 million teu. Cordero also spoke of looking forward to "a prosperous 2020 despite dramatic changes within the goods movement industry."
In detail, exactly 7,632,032 teu were moved last year, a decrease of 5.7% from the volumes logged in 2018. Imports went down by 8.3% to 3.76 million teu. Exports shrank by 3.3% to 1.47 million teu and empties decreased by 2.8% to 2.4 million teu. Terminal operators and dockworkers moved 665,000 teu in December, a 10.3% decline compared to December 2018.
Looking ahead into 2020, Cordero said: "Our aim is to distinguish Long Beach as the port of choice by working towards operational excellence with labour, shipping companies, ocean carriers, truckers and other industry partners."
Several projects will soon be finalised, like the replacement of the Gerald Desmond Bridge. A key element of the future is certainly the launch of the Long Beach container terminal planned for 2021. Over the next decade, the port also plans to invest an additional USD 1 billion in the rail sector. (mw)