LOS ANGELES: The nation’s largest container port saw falling imports in October, joining other West Coast ports in reporting a weak end to what is usually the peak season for shipping volumes.
The Port of Los Angeles handled 358,602 containers loaded with imported goods last month, a decline of 3.3% from the same month in 2014 and a drop of 12% since August, when import volumes peaked earlier than usual at several of the Pacific ports.
October is usually a busy month as goods arrive to stock shelves during the holiday season. However, this October was the second-slowest for imports at L.A. in the last five years.
At the adjacent port of Long Beach, Calif., the nation’s second-largest for container traffic, import volume also fell in October—a decline of 0.8% from the same month last year and a steep 14% decline from Long Beach’s peak month of August. In Oakland, Calif., another major port on the West Coast, imports were down 3.3% year-over-year in October and 14% from August to October of this year.