Port Traffic Way Up
The average number of ships docked at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach during the first days of June was up 40 percent over last year, repeating an overall trend of large increases in vessel traffic since the beginning of the year.
The daily number of ships docked at the ports has averaged about 70 so far this month, said Manny Aschemeyer, executive director of the Marine Exchange of Southern California, which tracks the comings and goings of all ships at the two Los Angeles–area ports. Last year, that average was about 50 ships at berths. Normally there are 40 to 55.
“Traffic is up, but it is all being handled well. There are no vessels at anchor waiting for a berth,” he said.
In particular, Aschemeyer noted, tanker traffic is up with more ships bringing in refined and unrefined oil for the Southern California market. About 50 percent of all vessels calling at the two ports are container ships.
Cargo container traffic is up 8.4 percent at the Port of Los Angeles during the first four months of this year but down 1 percent during the same time period at the Port of Long Beach.
—Deborah Belgum
