The Port of Long Beach has registered its busiest month August on record and its busiest month in 113 years.
The port attributes its success to retailers moving goods ahead of anticipated tariff increases and continuing labour negotiations at seaports on the East and Gulf coasts.
Dockworkers and terminal operators in Long Beach transported 913,873 TEU in August, up 33.9 per cent from the same month last year and breaking the port’s previous all-time one-month record of 6,657 TEU established in May 2021.
The port revealed that imports surged by 40.4 per cent to 456,868 TEU in August 2023, while exports increased by 12 per cent to 104,646 TEU, and empty containers carried through the port increased by 33.7 per cent to 352,360 TEU.
In addition to being the port’s third consecutive monthly year-over-year (YoY) increase, August was only the second time the port handled more than 900,000 TEU in a single month.
READ: Port of Long Beach records strongest June TEU volumes
Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero, said: “Cargo diversions and concerns about upcoming tariffs are creating a busy peak season for us. We’re prepared for the uptick in shipments and continued growth through the rest of the year with a dedicated waterfront workforce, modern infrastructure and plenty of capacity across our terminals.”
Long Beach Harbor Commission President Bonnie Lowenthal, stated: “The docks are bustling with record-setting activity as we continue to move cargo quickly, reliably and sustainably.”
The port transported 6.08 million TEU in the first eight months of 2024, a 21.9 per cent increase over the same time the previous year.
