Los Angeles, Feb 19 (IANS): The Port of Los Angeles (POLA) processed 865,595 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) last month, a 3.6-per cent increase compared to last year, marking the busiest January in its 115-year history.

January's record numbers followed a historic year in 2021, during which North America's leading seaport by container volume and cargo value saw a 13 per cent increase over its previous record year in 2018, reports Xinhua news agency.

POLA facilitated $259 billion in trade during 2020.

POLA's Executive Director Gene Seroka said in a statement that the key data showed the operation efficiency in the port had improved significantly in recent weeks.

"Our record-breaking January reflects the great efforts of our longshore workers, truckers and terminal operators as we continue to focus on additional operational efficiencies in the months ahead," he added.

According to POLA, January 2022 loaded imports reached 427,208 TEUs compared to the previous year, a slight decline of 2.4 per cent, while loaded exports came in at 100,185 TEUs, a 16-per cent decrease compared to the same period last year.

However, empty containers climbed to 338,202 TEUs, a jump of 21.4 per cent compared to last year due to the continued heavy demand in Asia.

Exports have now declined 35 of the last 39 months in Los Angeles.