Mega-ship Stops in Long Beach Up

Cargo surged into and out of the Port of Long Beach in record numbers in 2005, buoyed by the increasing use by China and other Asian traders of giant ships with the capacity to carry 8,000 or more import-stuffed containers each. The mega-ships, defined by their ability to float 8,000 cargo containers or more, visited Long Beach more than 200 times last year, and helped drive a 16 percent increase in the number of containers processed at the port during 2005 compared with the year prior. That comes after a record 24 percent increase in 2004. But for sheer numbers of containers processed at the port, 2005 was a record-breaker also, with the equivalent of 6.7 million 20-foot cargo containers processed. (Source: www.presstelegram.com)