The Port of Los Angeles handled 752,893 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) in May, down just 3% from last year’s figures, and cargo volume in the first five months of this year was up 18% overall compared with 2023.
Data for May 2024 paints a mixed picture, with loaded imports at 390,663 TEU, down 4.5% year-on-year and down 6.3% from April 2024. Meanwhile, loaded exports increased to 125,963 TEU, a significant 24% increase from last year and the 12th consecutive month of year-on-year increases. The port also reported a 12% decrease in empty container handling compared to 2023, bringing the total to 236,268.
Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka reassured the public that the port is continuing the strong and consistent volume trend that began earlier this year.
“As we prepare for the second half of the year, our forecast is for more activity at the port through the summer,” he said.
Seroka announced upcoming visits to Taiwan and China to further increase cargo volumes and reduce the port’s carbon footprint. The visits are aimed at establishing the China-U.S. Green Shipping Corridor in Shanghai, jointly sponsored by the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The initiative will bring together port leaders and stakeholders to build global trade routes to Southern California using low- and zero-carbon marine fuels.
The release of the May figures comes ahead of labor talks for 45,000 port workers on the eastern U.S. and Gulf Coast that stalled this week, raising fears of a strike if no agreement is reached by a Sept. 30 deadline. A strike could have major implications for shippers, who are already facing longer transit times and higher costs, especially during the peak holiday shipping season.
But Seroka downplayed the development in labor relations, saying such pauses and restarts are common during negotiations.
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