In March, the Port of Los Angeles processed 778,406 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs), a 4.7 percent increase from March 2024.
Also in March, loaded exports were 122,975 TEUs, a 15 percent decrease; and loaded imports were 385,531 TEUs, a 1.6 percent increase.
For the first quarter, the port handled 2.5 million TEUs, putting it 5.2 percent ahead of last year’s pace.
“Our volume remained strong throughout the first quarter, and we’ve now seen year-over year growth in 18 of the last 20 months,” Gene Seroka, Port of Los Angeles executive director said at a media briefing last week. “The start of the second quarter looks encouraging as importers begin to plan for spring and summer fashion, as well as back to school.
“However, with tariff and counter tariffs dominating the news, I expect we’ll see cargo decline in the second half of the year at least 10 percent compared to 2024. That’s because many importers have already brought their goods in early, and as prices begin to rise, consumers will think twice about many purchases.”
Joe Kramek, World Shipping Council president and CEO, also spoke at the event on the impact of proposed fees on container ships built in China, supply chain decarbonization and other trade topics.