The twin ports of the San Pedro Bay combined to move more than 2 million TEUs of cargo in September, setting individual and combined records for any month in their history.
The timing comes as officials point to the holiday-driven demand by American consumers and lower tariff rates from earlier in the year as being conducive to surging trade.
“September was a month for the record books, and it was part of an extraordinary run for the Port of Los Angeles,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka at his monthly media briefing. “Consumer demand remains resilient, importers are replenishing inventories and more cargo is being allocated to Los Angeles as shippers navigate continued challenges along other global trade routes.”
Cargo breakdown
Dockworkers at the Port of L.A. handled more than 1.04 million TEUs – 20-foot-equivalent units, the industry measurement of cargo containers – in September. The all-time high number for any month since the port’s founding also marks the third time it has exceed 1 million containers in a month.
Broken down, September’s numbers included 545,969 loaded import TEUs – an increase by 19% year-over-year – and 125,751 loaded export TEUs, up by 10%.
Meanwhile, workers at the Port of Long Beach moved 997,177 TEUs in September, breaking its all-time record most recently set in October 2024. That included 509,390 loaded import TEUs (up 31.3%) and 91,747 loaded export TEUs (up 7.8%).
The remaining sum of containers is represented by empties moving either in or out of the ports.
“Shippers continue to lean on the Port of Long Beach as a reliable partner in their business strategies, leading to our historic month for cargo,” Port of Long Beach Chief Executive Noel Hacegaba said at his media briefing. “Every milestone brings us closer to achieving our long-term goal of doubling cargo volumes to 20 million TEUs annually by 2050 as we build the Port of the Future.”
Factors
Water supply issues affecting traversal of the Panama Canal as well as ongoing uncertainty in the Middle East’s Suez Canal are factors in the San Pedro Bay’s ongoing activity, officials have said.
Tariffs are, of course, a factor, this time in the sense that they’re not as high as they used to be and thus incentivizing a period of higher restocking than usual. Hacegaba also pointed to an anticipated new trade agreement between the United States and China, the nation’s largest trans-Pacific trade partner by a significant margin.
The ports’ leaders also touted efficiency in handling the ships as they dock here, based on lessons learned when import volumes through the San Pedro Bay ballooned at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our waterfront workforce and supply chain partners have done a tremendous job handling these record volumes while keeping cargo moving,” Seroka said. “After the best month, quarter and four-month stretch in Port history, our focus is simple: finish the year strong and keep delivering for our customers.”
Dwell times
Getting the cargo out of the ports remained challenged, however, given the sheer volume.
Dwell times – the time between when cargo is brought off a ship and loaded onto either a drayage truck or rail car – increased year-over-year and month-to-month.
Truck-bound cargo had average dwell times of 3.18 days in September, nearly half a day longer than last September. And rail-bound cargo averaged 7.19 days of dwell time, well over the 3.98 days averaged last September.
“September was a record-setting month for the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and the higher dwell times reflect the sheer volume of cargo moving through the complex, with rail dwell continuing to be the area of greatest pressure,” said Natasha Villa, senior manager of public affairs for the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association, in a statement. “Marine terminals, drayage providers, and rail partners continue to work closely together to keep cargo moving throughout our extended peak season and adapt to changing and unique cargo patterns as we head into the final quarter of the year.”
