After setting a July cargo record, Port of Los Angeles volume remained “strong” in August, according to the California Port, which processed 958,355 TEUs (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), “nearly the same as last year’s robust performance.”
August 2025 loaded imports came in at 504,514 TEUs, 1% less than last year, the Port reported Sept. 17. Loaded exports landed at 127,379 TEUs, a 5% improvement from 2024. The Port processed 326,462 empty container units, 1% less than last year.
Eight months into 2025, the Port of Los Angeles handled 6,934,004 TEUs, 4.5% more than the same period in 2024.
“The Port of Los Angeles moved nearly 2 million containers in July and August combined,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said at a media briefing (see video below). “That’s the best two-month stretch for any port in the Western Hemisphere. Retailers and manufacturers have continued to bring goods in early, both to get ahead of holiday demand and to hedge against any shifts in trade policy. Looking forward, I expect container volumes to ease through the rest of 2025—especially against last year’s unusually high benchmarks. That’s because much of the year-end holiday cargo has already arrived. And economic signals like slowing job growth and lingering inflation are making both importers and consumers a bit more cautious.”
Meanwhile, peak shipping season boosted the Port of Long Beach, Calif., to its second-busiest August on record and the sixth-busiest month in its 114-year history “as retailers continued to see the arrival of goods purchased during a recent pause in tariffs,” the Port reported Sept. 15.
The ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles recently announced they are extending their agreement with Pacific Harbor Line to provide railroad operating and maintenance services within the San Pedro Bay ports complex. Union Pacific and BNSF move cargo in and out of the complex.
Further Reading:
- ITS Logistics Issues August US Port/Rail Ramp Freight Index
- Jacobs Tapped for POLB Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility
- Port of LA Signs MOA to Expand Exports Through Central Valley
- VIDEO: Tariffs Tamp POLA Volume Down
- POLB: $3.2B 10-Year Capex Plan
- Watch: California ‘State of the Port’ Priorities for 2025
