The Port of Long Beach handled 561,412 TEUs in February, more containers than in any prior February in its history, according to a statement from the port.
While a record for February, the winter months are a traditionally a less busy period for the port and the February record is far below the all time record for most containerized cargo handled in any month. That record was set last August when the port handled 703,652 TEUs.
Cargo volumes were 35.9 percent higher than in February 2015, when Long Beach and other West Coast ports were suffering from congestion that developed during contentious contract negotiations between the International Longshore and Warehouse Workers and their employers.
February volumes were also boosted by the arrival of the 18,000-TEU CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin, the largest ship to ever call a U.S. port.
