THE US port of Long Beach is watching cargo volumes drop as carriers continued to blank sailings in March amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Terminal operators and dockworkers moved 517,663 TEU last month, a 6.4 per cent year-on-year decline. Imports were down five per cent to 234,570 TEU, while exports rose by 10.7 per cent to 145,442 TEU. Empty containers shipped overseas fell by 21 per cent to 137,652 TEU, reported American Shipper.

The coronavirus was blamed for 19 cancelled sailings to Long Beach in the first quarter, leading a 6.9 per cent decrease in cargo shipments compared to the first three months of 2019, port officials said.

The port had reported a 17.9 per cent year-on-year drop in imports in February.

"The coronavirus is delivering a shock to the supply chain that continues to ripple across the national economy," said port of Long Beach executive director Mario Cordero. "We're definitely seeing a reduction in the flow of cargo at San Pedro Bay, but the ports remain open and operating, and we are maintaining business continuity."

Long Beach and Los Angeles container terminals have adjusted their second-shift operating hours to provide time to disinfect all handling equipment between shifts.

The port said last week it is working with medical supply companies, ocean carriers, marine terminal operators, dockworkers and truckers to expedite imports of crucial health equipment during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The port said terminal operators are staging the priority containers filled with medical gowns, gloves and other infection-control apparel and personal protective equipment manufactured in Asia for special pickup to rush them to distribution centres in California and beyond.

The port's business development team has been working directly with Cardinal Health, a global, integrated health care services and products company headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, to get these critical products through the port quickly.