L.A. port's volume up 16% in 2010

By Art Marroquin, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/13/2011 08:10:12 PM PSTUpdated: 01/14/2011 06:31:03 AM PST

The Port of Los Angeles had its fourth-best year on record, handling more than 7.8 million cargo containers in 2010. Cargo container shipments surged 16 percent at the Port of Los Angeles in 2010, buoyed by a strong start that leveled off as the year came to a close, according to figures released Thursday.

Economists initially predicted the nation's busiest port would end the year with a meager 5 percent increase in shipments from 2009 as retailers struggled to rebound from an economic recession that swept across the country.

"The 2010 volume gains far surpass our initial estimates, and we've been able to facilitate some export opportunities in the past year through our TradeConnect initiative and increased networking with local businesses and stakeholders," Geraldine Knatz, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, said, referring to a series of workshops explaining how exports work for local businesses.

The Port of Los Angeles had its fourth-best year on record, handling more than 7.8 million cargo containers in 2010. The port logged a record number of exports in 2010 with more than 1.8 million shipments, breaking the previous record set in 2008. Additionally, imports increased 12.8 percent last year to more than 3.9 million cargo containers.

In his State of the Union address last year, President Barack Obama proposed a National Export Initiative to generate 2 million jobs by doubling exports at the nation's ports through 2015.

"With this 16 percent increase in 2010 container volumes, the Port of Los Angeles in putting people back to work and doing its part to help President Obama meet his goal to double national exports over the next five years," Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said. "This is good news not only for Los Angeles, but cities across the nation."
Final cargo shipment figures at the neighboring Port of Long Beach will not be released until Tuesday, but officials said they expected to see the same levels of growth as recorded

Cargo container shipments surged 16 percent at the Port of Los Angeles in 2010, buoyed by a strong start that leveled off as the year came to a close, according to figures released Thursday. in Los Angeles.
Year-over-year figures showed a 25 percent jump in shipments passing through Long Beach during the first 11 months of 2010, according to the most recent statistics cited by port officials.

"I don't think anyone is going to say that we'll be able to continue this trend," said Art Wong, a spokesman for the Port of Long Beach.

"No one predicted that we would be able to accomplish what we did last year, but even with modest growth in 2011, this is really good news for the economy," Wong said. "We've brought back thousands of jobs, and the outlook is that we can bring back even more."

art.marroquin@dailybreeze.com

http://www.presstelegram.com/breakingnews/ci_17091016