The Port of Long Beach beat its prior record of processing 8.1 million twenty-foot container equivalent units (TEUs) set in 2020 and is on track to have processed more than 9 million TEUs by the end of 2021.
According to a press release the port moved 8.6 million TEUs during the first eleven months of 2021 a rise of 18.3% from the same period in 2020.
The increase was driven largely by a 17.6% rise in loaded inbound containers and a 32% rise in empty outbound containers. Meanwhile loaded outbound containers registered a 1.5% decline.
The influx of goods led the port to introduce a new queuing process to which it attributes the reduction of the number of vessels waiting to enter the port from 80 in November to a current total of 34.
“Clearing the line of ships waiting to enter our port and moving containers off the docks are our top priorities to ensure shelves are stocked and consumers can purchase gifts during the holiday season,” said Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero.
