Long Beach: Container Volumes Up Again in April; Proposed Grain Export Facility

The Port of Long Beach reports container volumes, measured in TEUs, rose by 12.5 percent in April, continuing a trend of steadily increasing activity at its docks. That includes gains from a year ago of 13.5 percent by inbound loads, 14.5 percent for outbound loads and 8.1 percent by empty containers. 

For the first four months, volume was up 17.2 percent. The port says the increases are in part due to more frequent calls by larger ships and the addition of service lines starting in late 2012.

In other news, the port has released a re-circulated draft environmental impact report examining a proposed grain export facility at Pier T on Terminal Island. 

Total Terminals International LLC (TTI) has proposed to build a grain export facility that would enable the transfer of grain and a grain product known as "dried distillers grains with solubles" – both products would be used for cattle feed only – from railcars to ocean shipping containers. The facility would capitalize on the existing rail facilities and container yard to receive grain and dried distillers grains for export, with capacity ranging from of 750,000 to 2.8 million tons per year.

The facility would be built on 11.6 vacant acres adjacent to the current TTI container shipping terminal. A draft EIR was issued last year, but changes to the proposed project required that a recirculated draft EIR be developed and circulated.

In 2011, Long Beach handled just over 3.3 million short tons of grain, oil seeds, and grain products, including animal feeds, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center.

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