SAN PEDRO, Calif. – April 30, 2020 –
In his
latest video message
, Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka confirmed Port operations are running smoothly and without disruption, and anticipates increased cargo volumes for April 2020, but still lower than April 2019.
“With labor shifts down 17% from the average over the past 39 months, we recognize the hardship that many of you are feeling due to our troubled economy,” said Seroka. “Together, we will get through this crisis. In the meantime, our executive team and staff are routinely talking with manufacturing, retail and agricultural interests—both importers and exporters—to stay updated on their recovery plans and ensure that our supply chain is positioned to help them in the coming months.”
Seroka lauded the City of Los Angeles’ agreement with Honeywell to purchase 24 million N95 masks through Logistics Victory Los Angeles (LoVLA), noting the agreement creates U.S. manufacturing jobs and helps employers of high-risk, essential workers secure masks at a competitive market rate. He also thanked Harbor Freight for donating gloves, spray bottles for disinfectant and 9,500 face shields to combat the spread of COVID-19.
To date, LoVLA has investigated more than 700 supplier leads. Seroka has concurrently served as executive director of the Port of Los Angeles and chief logistics officer for the City of Los Angeles since March.
The
Port of Los Angeles
remains open with all terminals operational during the COVID-19 pandemic and serves as the temporary homeport of the Naval hospital ship USNS Mercy. North America’s leading seaport by container volume and cargo value, the Port of Los Angeles facilitated $276 billion in trade during 2019. San Pedro Bay port complex operations and commerce facilitate one in nine jobs in the five-county Southern California region.
