By Karen Robes Meeks
The Port of Los Angeles saw cargo volumes plunge 30.9 percent to 449,568 TEUs compared to the same period last year, its lowest amount of monthly cargo since February 2009, according to numbers released Wednesday.
Imports for March also dove 25.9 percent to 220,255 TEUs, exports fell 23.8 percent to 121,146 TEUs and empty containers tumbled 44.5 percent to 108,168 TEUs year over year.
For the first quarter of 2020, volumes have fallen 18.5 percent compared to 2019.
In a recent video update, Port Executive Director Gene Seroka said cargo volumes would be soft and that the port is operating at 80 percent of normal volume.
“We’ve had two serious shocks to our supply chain system. First the trade war between the US and China and now the COVID-19 pandemic,” Seroka said in the release Wednesday. “With US retailers and cargo owners scaling back orders, volumes are soft even though factories in China are beginning to produce more. Amidst this public health crisis, there will be uncertain months ahead in the global supply chain.”