“If I had a dime every time I heard …”

Add “recording”.

“If I had a dime every time I heard the word record associated with the monthly volume of a US port …”

U.S. ports continue to reap big nickel as they break record after record as consumers continue to lose dollars on everything from devices made in Asia to zebra-striped clothing.

Long Beach Harbor

Wednesday’s announcement from the Port of Long Beach said that the second-busiest port in the United States “continued its unprecedented one-month record streak in May by moving more than 900,000 freight containers for the first time. in 110 years of history “.

The port handled 907,216 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in May, breaking the previous record for “best month” set two months earlier at 66,829 TEUs.

As at the other gates of the United States, the enormous import-export imbalance continued at the port of Long Beach. Imports increased 42.3% year-on-year to 444,736 TEUs. This jump of more than 40% is not surprising given that much of the world was closed in May 2020 due to COVID-19. The port said exports were “relatively stable”, up 0.6% year-on-year to 135,345 TEUs.

“E-commerce sales were higher in May compared to levels prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Consumers continued to spend more money on goods than on services such as restaurants, bars, sporting events and concerts, possibly due to continued capacity restrictions in many regions, ”the port explained. in a Wednesday press release. “In addition, demand for lumber, appliances and other durable goods was on the rise due to increased sales and home renovations.”

The following statistic shared by the Port of Long Beach showed that the container availability crisis continues. “Empty containers passing through the port increased by 80.7% to 327,135 TEUs,” he said.

Gaps in the supply chain developed when the import tidal wave began last summer and shippers struggled to quickly bring empty containers back to Asia for filling.

“May was the 11th consecutive month that the Port of Long Beach broke cargo movement records for a particular month amid a historic increase in cargo that began in July 2020,” the port said.

South Carolina Port Authority

The South Carolina Ports Authority used the word “record” twice in the first sentence of its May Volumes Report: “South Carolina ports recorded a May record for containers handled at the Port of Charleston, marking the third consecutive month of record volumes. “

SCPA said it had its best May for containers, moving 230,870 TEUs, a 36% year-over-year increase, through the terminals at Wando Welch, North Charleston and Hugh K. Leatherman at the port of Charleston.

“While strong comparisons are facilitated by low volumes in May 2020 due to the pandemic, SC Ports volumes consistently show a rebound in the booming Southeast market,” the port said in a statement from hurry. “Mega-retailers and advanced manufacturers continue to generate volumes at the Port of Charleston. Loaded imports increased 46.5% and loaded exports increased 24.3% in May compared to a year ago.

Vehicles remain a particularly strong segment for the Port of Charleston. The SCPA processed 21,280 vehicles in May, up 818% year-over-year – a significant jump from last May, when many automakers were affected by the pandemic.

Georgia Port Authority

Georgian ports are set to move more than 5 million TEUs for the first time in a fiscal year.

“Around this time last year, we weren’t sure which way to go and expected double-digit loss of business,” Georgia Ports Chairman of the Board said Thursday. Authority, Will McKnight. “Seeing how the GPA team and our supply chain partners turned things around to achieve a streak of the most successful months of all time speaks volumes for this world-class workforce. “

The Port of Savannah handled 478,620 TEUs in May, an increase of 41.9% year-on-year. The GPA said it was the second busiest month in port history and the 10th consecutive month of year-over-year growth.

The GPA said to keep up with the growth, it has ramped up its recruiting efforts, hiring nearly 150 new employees since January. Many are trained to operate jockeys, construction cranes and other port equipment.

The auto industry has been hit particularly hard by COVID-19, as many manufacturers have faced plant closures and supply chain disruptions. The rebound was evident in GPA’s vehicle and machinery trade, which increased 347% year-on-year in May, from 14,043 units to 62,873.

‘Ongoing Freight Boom’ Drives Port of Long Beach Record in April

Port of Charleston cargo volume up nearly 28% year-over-year

Georgia Ports continues to break records

Click here for more American / FreightWaves Shippers Stories by Editor Kim Link-Wills.