Double-Digit Growth And Record Shipments Says LAEDC Trade Study On LA/LB Ports

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) May 10, 2007

The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) presented its annual International Trade Outlook at a half-day breakfast event in Long Beach, CA.

"Despite all this good news, the international trade industry in Southern California continues to face a daunting array of challenges that could crimp its growth potential," said Chief Economist Jack Kyser, senior vice president, LAEDC.

Some of those challenges included:

• The international trade industry has been fiercely criticized about its environmental impacts due to its heavy use of diesel power. Several mitigation efforts are underway, but there needs to be better communication about them to the region's population.
• Land-side transportation capacity is under extreme pressure, but paying for projects to alleviate them will be expensive. Container fees have been proposed, but there has been a push-back by various groups.
• Port and transportation workers are waiting for implementation of the much-delayed Transportation Worker's Identification Credential (TWIC). There is concern over both its cost and possible impact on port truckers.
• The labor contract between West Coast shippers and the longshore union expires in June 2008. While there is no early view about the tenor of the negotiations, shippers remember the painful 2002 port disruption and are beginning to hedge their bets.

"The industry has to not only communicate more effectively with local residents, they have to start telling the story nationally that almost everybody in the nation depends on Southern California's international trade industry," said Kyser.

"This study by LAEDC illustrates the need for all stakeholders to work to together to ensure the revenues are invested wisely to improve container goods movement, and to mitigate environmental concerns," said Vance Baugham, president of the World Trade Center Association, LA-Long Beach.

LAEDC Study Reveals Ports Are Bursting At the Seams In Shipments

Who: Jack Kyser, Senior V.P. and Chief Economist, LAEDC
Jim Hankla, President Long Beach Harbor Commission

What: WTCA LA - Long Beach: International Trade Outlook

When: THURSDAY, May 10, 2007 Program: 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Continental Breakfast and Copy of International Trade Report
Media interviews are welcome before and after the event.                    

Where: Keesal, Young and Logan - Long Beach
400 Oceangate, Long Beach
(Union Bank Building - 14th Fl.)
(562) 436-2000

Background:
The LAEDC "International Trade Trends and Impacts" study results will be presented Thursday, May 10, 2007, in Long Beach at above event. The study says the number of containers at the Long Beach and Los Angeles ports is expected to jump more than nine percent this year, to 17.2 million TEUs (twenty-foot-equivalent units), making them nation's busiest. "By way of comparison, both ports handled 9.5 million TEUs in 2000," said Jack Kyser, chief economist and senior vice president of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC).

Much of the multi-billion dollar trade is expected to come from China, Japan and Korea. President James Hankla, Long Beach Harbor Commission, will join Kyser to discuss the future economic impact of the ports growth.

[Editors: For media interviews please contact MAYO @ 818-340-5300 or 818-618-9229. The Trade Study results are posted at: http://www.laedc.org/reports/Trade-2007.pdf

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