Supply Chain Research

The port of Long Beach underperformed its local rival for a fourth month in October, with a 6% drop in volumes handled vs. 16% growth for Los Angeles. Two thirds of the drop is explained by lower handling of empty containers, tied to Hanjin Shipping’s demise. The future for the ports depends on organic factors such as the Panama Canal’s success as well as strategic ones. These include Korea Line’s plans should it acquire Hanjin Shipping’s Long Beach assets, and APM’s planned expansion in LA.