Congestion Demand Forecast

How long the congestion will last depend largely on the number of imports from now until the peak season in August.  The port of Los Angeles said that weekly imports so far this year were “30% to 40% higher†than the port’s throughput in 2019 and previous years.  Although imports were unusually low last spring, Los Angeles processed about 50 percent of the total imports from Asia, according to relevant data.  Since July last year, the total monthly import of L.A. – Long Beach port Asian imports has been about 800000 TEU, which is a year-on-year increase of at least 10 per cent per month.  Despite progress in some areas, freight volume remains extraordinarily strong, with more ships arriving every week, and the growth in cargo volume exceeds the capacity of the port.  

When Asian factories closed in February for the Lunar New Year holiday, terminal operators had expected imports to fall for at least a few weeks, but that was not the case. Jon Monroe, a consultant to NVOS, said U.S. imports from Asia fell only slightly after the lunar new year. “It’s back in March, and it’s strong. We are back to the volume before the Spring Festival. “