After the Port of Long Beach dipped to the third busiest in 2022, it regained its place at number two in 2023. Although port activity was largely down in 2023, it appears to be rebounding in 2024.
“We are pleased to regain our longstanding stature as second-busiest U.S. container port given our cargo volume in 2023,” Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero reportedly stated.
Bitten by inconsistent supply chains and delayed cargo vessels left idling off the coast, it wasn’t surprising that importers rerouted ships to Atlantic Ocean ports, primarily the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The East Coast operation moved approximately 8.8 million TEUs compared to 8.5 million at Long Beach in 2022.
But even with the effects of reimagined shipping routes and nearshoring, Long Beach made gains during 2023, while the port near the Big Apple slipped back to about 7.8 million containers. It’s also important to note that nine of the Top 10 U.S. ports experienced net TEU losses from 2022 to 2023.
- Port of Los Angeles: -1,281,477
- Port of Long Beach: -1,114,989
- Port of New York and New Jersey: -1,683,659
- Port of Savannah: -964,477
- Port of Houston: -150,301
- Port of Virginia: -415,684
- Port of Charleston: -310,233
- Port of Seattle and Port of Tacoma: -412,775
- Port of Oakland: -271,416
- Port of Jacksonville: +15,355
Industry leaders such as Port of L.A. Executive Director Eugene Seroka appear optimistic that imports and exports are on the rise. Many attributed a slow third and fourth quarter in 2023 to overstocked retailers and a swollen warehousing sector. Despite higher interest rates and worries over inflation, industry insiders predict consumer spending will rise by 1.4 percent. This spells good news for the truck transportation industry, which is already seeing more container hauls.
“January volume, reaching an impressive 855,020 TEUs. This marks our second-best January on record…finishing 18 percent higher than the previous year,” Seroka reportedly said.
In sunny Northern Florida, Jaxport continues its winning streak. Jacksonville port leaders are touting a new relationship that will onboard a direct West Coast of South America container service expected to kick off in the spring. Jaxport officials also finalized another expansion deal that will only add to the infrastructure builds underway. A $72 million SSA Jacksonville Container Terminal modernization development is expected to come to fruition in 2025, adding upwards of 2 million TEUs. That figure is expected to nearly double the terminal’s current traffic. Ranked as Florida’s largest port, truckers in the Southeast can anticipate an uptick in regional hauls going forward.
Sources:
https://maritimepage.com/top-10-busiest-and-largest-container-ports-in-the-us/
https://www.ajot.com/insights/full/ai-port-of-la-s-seroka-reports-18-volume-jump
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