US mega container hub Port of Los Angeles moved 9.2m Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) in 2020, down approximately 1.5% compared with 2019 volumes.
A late-year surge of pandemic-induced consumer spending helped boost volumes to near 2019 levels, making 2020 the fourth highest-volume year in the Port’s history.
The Port’s third- and fourth-quarter 2020 cargo volumes increased 50% over the first half of the year, with the Port handling 94% more traffic the week before Christmas than the same week in 2019.
Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said: “Our container business in 2020 was the most erratic we have ever seen, with volumes plunging nearly 19% in the first five months of the year, followed by an unprecedented second-half surge.
“Our ILWU longshore workforce did a great job adapting to the huge swings in volume, as did port truckers and everyone else involved in moving cargo through our Port. In a year of great difficulty, we are extremely grateful for the tenacity and resolve of all of our partners.”
Said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti: “Los Angeles is one of the world’s great centers of trade and commerce, and that’s because of our port.”
“Our success is a credit to the cargo owners who place their trust in us, and to the tireless efforts of our longshore workers, our terminal operators, our truck drivers, and all the essential workers across the supply chain who keep our economy moving even in the toughest of times.”
