The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif., on June 13 reported that cargo volumes have improved sequentially over the past several months. May cargo throughput was up 60% since February in Los Angeles and up 15.6% from April in Long Beach.
The Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners on June 7 approved a $2 billion Fiscal Year (FY) 2023/24 annual budget for the Port of Los Angeles, calling for “increased investment in Port operational and public-access infrastructure, as well as support for a range of industry leading sustainability and decarbonization initiatives.”
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) on April 27 passed a new rule aimed at reducing emissions from locomotives when they operate within the state.
Five California seaports sign a Memorandum of Understanding to launch the California Port Data Partnership. Also, Royal Vopak and AltaGas Ltd. form a new joint venture for a large-scale liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and bulk liquids terminal in Prince Rupert, Canada.
South Carolina (SC) Ports celebrates the five-year anniversary of Inland Port Dillon with record month for containers handled. Also, Port of Long Beach cargo slows in March; and FourKites announces new enhancements to its Sustainability Hub.
The Port of Long Beach selects HDR to complete the final design for the $1.5 billion Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility. Also, the Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) launches Rail Cargo Incentive Program in the Pacific Northwest; and EFL Global acquires Locher Evers International (LEI).
The Port of Long Beach (POLB) and the Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council have finalized a new 10-year project labor agreement (PLA) that “ensures large Port infrastructure projects will continue to be built by skilled workers without any stoppages, strikes or lockouts.” The previous port-wide PLA was a five-year pact adopted in 2016 and extended for two years.
The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach experienced double-digit declines in TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) processed in February. Both California ports cited well-stocked retailers, reduced consumer spending, and the typical closure of east Asian factories during the Lunar New Year holiday, as reasons for the soft cargo volumes.
The Port of Los Angeles starts 2023 with a 16% drop in TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), and expects a “soft” first quarter due to “extended Lunar New Year closures, well-stocked retailers and economic concerns.” Also, FourKites and RCS Logistics team to provide RCS customers with a “one-stop shop” for end-to-end visibility into their shipments across ocean, air, drayage, intermodal and over-the-road (OTR).
The Port of Long Beach is attributing a large January 2023 volume drop, compared to the prior-year period, to “softened consumer spending, increased prices driven by inflation and a shift in trade routes.”