Foto: First picture – Port of Shanghai, Second – Port of Long Beach

Every day millions of cargo shipments travel from one port to another, connecting people and businesses all around the world. We tend to take for granted their job, but we are not actually aware of how much load they have to deal with.

Shanghai was the world’s busiest container port, according to a report by shipping consultancy service Alphaliner. Shanghai handled a total of 40 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) last year.

In the Americas, Port of Los Angeles & Port of Long Beach were the busiest container ports, with 15.6 million TEUs (combined). Strategically located on the coast of Southern California, these two adjoining ports are a major gateway for trade with Asia.

Port of LA—the 18th Busiest Port in the World

The Port of Los Angeles occupies 43 miles of waterfront in San Pedro Bay. 8.8 million TEUs were moved in 2016, up an incredible 7.8% increase year over year. Some $1.2 billion worth of cargo moves to/from the Port of Los Angeles each day, accounting for about 43% of all cargo coming into the US. Modernization in the form of the TraPac terminal, staffed almost entirely by robots, features 28 red cargo-carrying machines moving containers onto self-driving vehicles.

Port of Long Beach—a Major Trade Gateway with Asia

The Port of Long Beach’s yearly trade movement amounts to $180 billion, or 4.7 million TEUs, making it the 21st busiest port in the world. Although volume was off 5.6% in 2016 compared 2015, March 2017 saw busiest first quarter ever for the Port of Long Beach, which generates approximately $100 billion in trade. For fiscal 2018, the port invested $457 million upgrading terminals, waterways, bridges, rail lines, marine safety and other vital infrastructure.

Strictly speaking, these are two separate ports that both compete for business and share resources. However, by combining their TEU totals, we get a picture of a mega port that would account for one-quarter of North America’s entire container trade and would weigh in as the 10th busiest port in the world.

Sources:

https://nowthatslogistics.com , https://cargofive.com , www.visualcapitalist.com , http://www.worldshipping.org , https://alphaliner.axsmarine.com