Photo by Asia Morris.

Container volume at the Port of Long Beach (POLB) was down 7.7 percent last month, compared to July 2015 when the port saw a record amount of cargo move through its harbor terminals. The decline in cargo volume came one month after another increase, which has been more of the norm for the last year. 

Dockworkers moved 637,091 twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) in July, with imports totaling 325,608 containers, a 5.9 percent year-over-year decrease, according to the release.

Exports totaled 142,812 TEUs at a 0.7 percent drop and empties decreased to 168, 671, 15.9 percent lower than last year’s count, which was the port’s strongest July ever recorded.

2015 was a record-breaking year for the port, the third-highest 12 months in the economic engine’s history. This year it’s a slightly different story with “continued market uncertainty and high inventory levels,” according to the release.

The traditionally high-volume holiday peak season is off to a slow start, with several national forecasts now revised to reflect the “softness in cargo movement.”

The POLB is currently undergoing a $4 billion program, entitled Port of the Future, to modernize its facilities to bring long-term and environmentally sustainable growth.

For the latest monthly cargo numbers, visit the website here. For more details, click here.