The first quarter was a strong one for the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach, with both container ports recording double-digit growth over the same period last year.

And while much of that growth is a result of last year’s lackluster first quarter, officials still believe their ports are poised to maintain momentum and slide back into the normal pre-pandemic rhythm.

“Overall, U.S. economic indicators remain positive. The job market remains exceptionally strong,” Port of L.A. Executive Director Gene Seroka said in his monthly media briefing. “A strong job market and continued consumer spending will help drive cargo here in the second quarter.”

In March, the Port of L.A. moved 743,417 TEUs – 20-foot equivalent units, which measures container volumes – which represented a 19% increase over last March. Broken down, this included 379,542 import TEUs (also 19% up) and 144,718 export TEUs, a whopping 47% increase and the port’s best export month since January 2020. Meanwhile, the Port of Long Beach moved 654,082 TEUs in March (up 8.3%), including 302,521 imports (up 8.4%) and 105,099 exports (down 21.3%).

Overall, the Port of L.A. had a 30% first-quarter improvement, while the Port of Long Beach posted a 16.4% gain over last year.

“We will continue to build the infrastructure that will allow us
to grow our trade strategically
and sustainably.”

“Consumer demand remains strong and continues to drive cargo through this vital gateway for trans-Pacific trade,” Port of Long Beach Chief Executive Mario Cordero said in a statement. “We will continue to build the infrastructure that will allow us to grow our trade strategically and sustainably.”

Seroka highlighted the vastly different landscape between the years. At the start of last year, contentious labor negotiations between the dockworkers and shipping companies left those shippers uneasy about sending most of their cargo here. High product inventories nationwide also curbed the need for new shipments to replenish warehouses, and inflationary pressures in general disrupted much of the American economy.

Not so this year. Both ports have had resurgent activity since the labor agreement was ratified last summer. The job market remains strong and consumer spending continues to exceed expectations. 

And outside factors that affect global shipping – drought in the Panama Canal area and terrorism by the Iran-backed Houthis in the Red Sea – are impacting how shipping companies plot their shipments.

Seroka said he sees 2024 as being a return to form for the San Pedro Bay complex, in the sense that its moving beyond outlier years and beginning to again compare to where things were before the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We won’t see the cartoon-like year-over-year gains, but as we start heading into the second quarter, traditional slack season, we’ll see a good bump,” he added.