i3 - May/June 2020 - 32

Policy

By Sage Chandler and Cindy Stevens

P O L I CY N E WS

The Busiest Port in North America

The Port of Los Angeles, North America's
leading seaport by container volume and
cargo value alone facilitated $276 billion
in trade during 2019. Owned by the State
of California, for the past 20 years, the
Port of Los Angeles has been the busiest
container port in the Western
Hemisphere. With record volumes for
containerized trade, economic activity
generated by the Port is a bellwether for
the health of the U.S. economy.
The Port of Los Angeles and neighboring Port of Long Beach comprise the San
Pedro Bay port complex, which handles
more containers per ship call than any
other port complex in the world and has
the most activity in the Western
Hemisphere. Worldwide, the Port of Los
Angeles ranks number 17, and the San
Pedro Bay port complex ranks number 9.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak began,
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MAY/JUNE 2020

i3_0520_Policy_News_TradeAndSupply.indd 32

trans-Pacific mariMany retailers are production is slowly
time trade has been
up, U.S. purpostponing, cancel- picking
significantly
chasing activity has
ling or otherwise
impacted. In
slowed. "Many retailers
pushing back on
February, cargo shipare postponing, cancelorders until we see ling or otherwise pushments dropped
22.9% compared to
ing back on orders until
some certainty in
the year before, and
the U.S. economy. we see some certainty
in an April webinar
in the U.S. economy,"
hosted by the Port of
Seroka said.
Los Angeles, Gene
With so much uncerSeroka, executive director of the Port of
tainty in the supply chain, port operaLos Angeles told participants, "While
tions have had to make careful
operations are smooth, cargo volumes
assessments to meet new challenges. To
have declined precipitously. In the
minimize the risks of COVID-19 and
month of March alone, cargo volume
with continuity of operations plans in
was down 31%. And for Q1, we are down place, the Port of Los Angeles is coordi18.5% year-over-year."
nating with federal, state and local partHe added that cargo volumes are
ners, including the Centers for Disease
roughly 80% of normal traffic at this
Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S.
time of year but that while China
Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border

Robert Chiasson/Alamy Stock Photo

eeping manufacturing and the supply chain, operational is critical to
the U.S. economy. As the world now struggles with the COVID-19
outbreak that first emerged in Wuhan, China in 2019, we heard from
one essential player in supply chain operations.

I T I S I N N O VAT I O N

5/7/20 3:00 PM

i3 - May/June 2020

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