TMSA Member Spotlight: Port of Long Beach as an Economic Machine

A new member of TMSA, the Port of Long Beach is one of America’s premier seaports and a trailblazer in goods movement and environmental stewardship. Trade valued annually at more than U.S. $180 billion moves through Long Beach each year. More than 7.5 million container units were imported and exported in 2017 through the Port, making it the second-busiest seaport in the United States. Everything from clothing and shoes to toys, furniture and consumer electronics arrives at the Port before making its way to store shelves throughout the country. Specialized terminals also move petroleum, automobiles, cement, lumber, steel and other products.

Long Beach is the second-busiest port in the United States, and the 20th-busiest container cargo port in the world. Fun fact: If combined, the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles would be the world's tenth-busiest port complex by container volume, after Shanghai, Singapore, Shenzhen (China), Ningbo (China) Hong Kong, Busan (S. Korea), Qingdao (China), Guangzhou (China), and Dubai (UAE).

A major economic force, the Port supports more than 30,000 jobs in Long Beach, 316,000 jobs throughout Southern California and 1.4 million jobs throughout the United States. It generates about $16 billion in annual trade-related wages statewide.

With the Green Port Policy guiding efforts to minimize or eliminate negative environmental impacts, the Port also is a catalyst for innovative environmental programs. Serving as a model for ports around the world, the Port of Long Beach pioneered such programs as the Green Flag Vessel Speed Reduction Program, Green Leases with environmental covenants and the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan. With these bold initiatives, the Port is dedicated to improving air quality more quickly and aggressively than has ever been attempted by any seaport, anywhere in the world.

For these reasons and more, the Port is recognized internationally as one of the world’s best seaports and locally as a partner dedicated to helping the community thrive. TMSA is pleased that Ken Uriu, Marketing Manager of the Port of Long Beach, now serves on its Board of Directors. 

FACTS AT A GLANCE

Each year, the Port handles:

• More than 6.8 million 20-foot container units (TEUs)
• Cargo valued at $180 billion
• 82.3 million metric tons of cargo
• 2,000 vessel calls
• The Port's loaded containers account for:
• 1/3 moving through all California ports
• 1/4 moving through all West Coast ports, nearly 1 in 5 moving through all U.S. ports

The Port comprises:

• 3,000 acres of land
• 4,600 acres of water
• 10 piers
• 62 berths
• 66 post-Panamax gantry cranes
• Shipping terminals (22)
• 5 break bulk (automobiles, lumber, steel, iron ore)
• 6 bulk (petroleum coke, salt, gypsum, cement)
• 6 container
• 5 liquid bulk (petroleum)
• International ranking

Port-related employment:

• 30,000 jobs (about one in eight) in Long Beach
• 316,000 jobs (or one in 22) in the five-county Southern California region
• 1.4 million jobs throughout the U.S. are related to Long Beach-generated trade

Regional economic impacts:

• More than $5 billion a year in U.S. Customs revenues from the Long Beach/Los Angeles ports
• About $4.9 billion a year in local, state and general federal taxes from Port-related trade
• More than $47 billion in direct and indirect business sales yearly
• Nearly $14.5 billion in annual trade-related wages

Trading partners:

• East Asian trade accounts for more than 90% of the shipments through the Port
• Top trading partners by tonnage are; China, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, Iraq, Australia, Ecuador and Indonesia.

Top Imports are: Crude oil, Electronics, Plastics, Furniture, and Clothing

Top Exports are: Petroleum coke, Petroleum bulk, Chemicals, Waste paper, and Foods