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LONG BEACH - 01/25/07 -Amid strong demand for international products, nearly 7.3 million cargo containers moved through Port of Long Beach terminals in 2006 for a fifth straight year of record-breaking cargo activity.

Container terminals at the port - the second most active in the US - moved 7.29 million twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) in 2006, an increase of 8.7% over the previous record in 2005 of 6.71 million TEUs.

The facilities have increased the total number of TEUs, which includes import, export and empty containers, every year since 2001.

Port trade analysts said the cargo surge in 2006 was driven by continued U.S. demand for products manufactured in Asia and increased vessel capacity supplied by the new generation of 8,000-TEU container ships.

Inbound cargo at the port increased by 11.2%, to 3.7 million TEUs, while exports increased by 5.7% to 1.3 million TEUs. The movement of empty containers, most sent overseas to be refilled with products, increased by 6.4% to 2.3 million TEUs.

The port is located on Southern California's San Pedro Bay, the busiest seaport complex in the US.

When Long Beach's container totals are combined with the neighboring Port of Los Angeles' 8.5 million TEUs in 2006, the port complex ranks as the world's fifth busiest, after Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Shenzhen.

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