Port of Los Angeles Handles 960,000 TEU in July, Second-Highest for the Period on Record

en.Wedoany.com Reported - WeDoAny News, August 18 — Data released by the Port of Los Angeles on August 18 show that the port handled 960,464 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) in July 2026, the second-highest volume for the period in the port's 118-year history, trailing only the record set in July 2025. Although down 6% year over year, the figure is 7.5% above the port's five-year July average.

In the July data, loaded imports reached 499,552 TEU, down 8% from the record-setting July 2025, but 6% above the five-year average for the period. Loaded exports totaled 111,776 TEU, down 8% year over year; empty containers amounted to 349,137 TEU, down 2% year over year. In the first seven months of 2026, the Port of Los Angeles processed a cumulative 6,083,067 TEU, up 1.8% from the same period last year.

Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said at the monthly briefing that after throughput surpassed 1 million TEU in June, the port again approached that level in July. Businesses are accelerating cargo movement to take advantage of the window created by trade policy changes, while resilient consumer demand is keeping imports at historically high levels. Seroka expects August to remain strong, though some traditional peak-season cargo has already arrived early. He noted that consumer demand remains the most critical variable for the second half of the year.

Industry analysts attribute the earlier-than-usual peak season primarily to tariff policy changes. The 10% global Section 122 tariff that took effect in February expired on July 23, and the following day a new round of Section 301 tariffs (10% to 12.5%) covering 60 economies took effect. Importers rushed shipments ahead of the tariffs to mitigate their impact, shifting the traditional late-summer/early-autumn peak season earlier. The National Retail Federation expects imports at major ports to remain elevated in August before gradually tapering off.

The Port of Los Angeles, together with the adjacent Port of Long Beach, forms the "Los Angeles–Long Beach port complex," which handles approximately 40% of U.S. maritime container imports. The Port of Long Beach handled 928,508 TEU in July, also the second-highest for the period in its history.