September didn’t set off any bells for container volumes at the Port of Los Angeles.

Port officials reported 730,000 containers moved through the port last month, a 5.8 percent drop in the volume moved during the same month last year.

Port officials said September’s tally, while robust, paled when compared to the unusually high year-ago volume of 775,000 containers. That month was the strongest of 2014 and the strongest September since 2006, the port’s record volume year.

“While we fell short of last September’s exceptional volume of 775,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit), I’m encouraged by the productivity our terminals and supply chain partners have demonstrated over the past six months,” said Port Director Gene Seroka. “We are experiencing a consistent pattern of larger ships and more efficient cargo conveyance at volumes that are market leading.”

September’s activity saw a 9.4 percent year-over-year drop in imported container volume to just under 384,000 containers. Exports were down 17.5 percent from the year earlier, to 124,000 containers. The number of empty containers that returned to overseas ports rose 9.4 percent.

Over the past nine months, container volume fell 2.9 percent to 6.1 million containers, compared to 6.3 million containers from the year-ago period.

The September numbers from the Port of Los Angeles are in sharp contrast to the record-breaking movement at the neighboring Port of Long Beach. On Monday, Long Beach port officials said September capped a record quarter in which 2 million containers moved through the port, a 14.8 percent increase over the same period last year.