Port Traffic Metrics: Baltimore, Los Angeles

Baltimore: Containers, General Cargo Tonnage Hit Record Highs in 2016

2016 was another record year for public marine terminals in the Port of Baltimore, with general cargo throughput exceeding10 million short tons for the first time ever and container traffic at an all-time high.

General cargo includes automobiles, containers, roll on/roll off (farm and construction equipment), forest products (rolled paper and wood pulp) and breakbulk cargo.

In detail, the 2016 data show:

• General Cargo – 10.1 million short tons ( 5 percent compared to 2016)

• Containers – 869,485 TEUs ( 3.2 percent):

• Rolled paper – 519,744 tons ( 3 percent)

Since July, the port has been handling vessels bound to and from the enlarged Panama Canal. It had an exceptionally busy December with an influx of mega ships and a 23 percent upsurge in container traffic compared to December 2015.  

During the year, the Maryland Port Administration signed its top forest-product customer, Finland-based UPM, to a 10-year contract extension, extended its contracts with Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean International, and received a nearly $1 million federal grant to combat air pollutants by upgrading diesel-powered port equipment.

In December, Maryland applied for a U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) FASTLANE grant to double-stack Baltimore’s Howard Street Tunnel. Reconstructing the 121-year-old tunnel will accommodate double-stacked container trains and break a major logistical bottleneck. Maryland’s application is under review by USDOT.

Baltimore port-related activity generates about 13,650 direct jobs, more than 127,000 direct and indirect across Maryland, nearly $3 billion in individual wages and salary and more than $310 million in state and local tax revenues.

Los Angeles Container Traffic sets January Record

The Port of Los Angeles reports container throughput last month totaled handled 826,640 TEUs, an increase from January 2016 of 17.4 percent. That made it the port’s busiest January ever and its second busiest month overall, after last November’s 877,564 TEUs. Over the most recent 10-year period, the port’s January volumes averaged 645,142 TEUs.

In detail, this January’s data show increases from a year ago of 13.1 percent for imports, 28.7 percent for exports, and 17.9 percent for empty containers.

The port says the January surge was due in part to retail stores replenishing inventories after the holidays, an upward trend for U.S. exports, and cargo ships calling ahead of the Lunar New Year, when goods from Asia slow down considerably.

"Coming off our best year ever in 2016, it’s very encouraging to keep the momentum going into 2017," said Port Executive Director Gene Seroka. "The port remains diligent, along with our partners, in making the San Pedro Bay supply chain even more efficient through world-class infrastructure, innovative technology solutions and strategic use of resources."

Current and historical data are available here.