THE Port of Los Angeles has set an all-time annual record for container throughput in 2017, moving 9
THE Port of Los Angeles has set an all-time annual record for container throughput in 2017, moving 9.3 million TEU, an increase of 5.5 -percent 2016's record-breaking year and the new high-water mark for the most cargo moved annually by a Western Hemisphere port.Supply chain efficiencies, new technology use, and terminal upgrades were the three reasons given for the milestone. The 110-year-old facility, which is the nation's busiest seaport, invested in a series of upgrades throughout 2017, DC Velocity reported.
In one initiative, the port teamed with GE Transportation, a unit of General Electric Co, on a programme to digitise maritime data and make it accessible to beneficial cargo owners (BCOs) and container line companies. This 'Port Optimizer' digital information portal aggregates key cargo data online to facilitate better cargo tracking, projections, and productivity, according to the port.
In addtion, the port completed infrastructure upgrades at its TraPac Container Terminal and Yusen Terminals Inc, allowing them to service increasingly larger ships and facilitate more efficient cargo movement.
'2017 was a year beyond expectations, but it was not by chance,' Port of Los Angeles executive director Gene Seroka said in a statement. 'Our growth is a direct result of a concerted, multi-year effort by the Port and its many partners to maximise efficiency throughout the supply chain. All the collaborative work by a broad range of global maritime stakeholders has delivered these remarkable results.'
Port statistics also showed that loaded imports decreased 2.2 per cent year over year to 385,492 TEU in December while loaded exports decreased 7.3 per cent, to 152,865 TEU. In addition, total empty containers moved in December rose 1.45 percent year over year, to 240,853 TEU.