Southern California Ports Shatter Cargo Records as Imports Surge

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach both set all-time monthly cargo records in September, handling a combined 2.04 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) as strong imports and shifting global trade patterns continued to drive cargo through the nation’s busiest port complex.

The Port of Long Beach reported Thursday that it handled 997,177 TEUs in September, up 25% from a year earlier and surpassing its previous record of 987,191 TEUs set in October 2024. It was the busiest month in the port’s 115-year history.

The milestone follows last week’s record-breaking announcement from the Port of Los Angeles, which handled 1,042,652