Cargo shipments passing through the Port of Long Beach jumped 24 percent last year, the biggest rise on record, port officials announced Tuesday. The figures show the port saw steady recovery from recession lows.

Volume rose by 1.2 million units, which port officials said was the largest among U.S. ports in 2010. Exports rose 16 percent to 1.56 million TEUs or 20-foot equivalent units, a standardized maritime industry measurement. Imports were up 23 percent to 3.13 million TEUs.

“This was a tremendous rebound, and happened much faster than predicted,” Richard Steinke, the port’s executive director, said in a statement. “Best of all, the additional cargo has brought back thousands of port-related jobs throughout the supply chain – and we’re very optimistic that the job growth in this industry will continue in 2011.”

The Port of Los Angeles also reported strong year-end numbers last week, with total cargo container shipments up 16 percent. The port had its fourth-best year on record, with exports rising 10.3 percent to 1.8 Million TEUs. Imports were up 13 percent to 3.97 million TEUs.

Los Angeles is the nation’s busiest port; Long Beach is the second busiest.

Industry observers cautioned that the growth rates at the nation’s ports are likely to slow this year. “Some of that surge that we saw last year to rebuild inventories is past us now,” Jay Bryson, senior global economist at Wells Fargo Securities LLC, told Bloomberg News.