Port of Los Angeles Records Busiest-Ever Quarter Despite Trade Uncertainty

The Port of Los Angeles handled its busiest three-month period on record from July through September, despite persistent uncertainty over tariffs and shifting global trade supply chains.

The result came as the port continued to serve as the United States’ leading gateway for imports from China and other Asian countries.

The Port of Los Angeles is also the largest container port in the United States.

Record quarter at the port

“If there was ever a time for a drum roll, this is it,” Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, said during a media briefing on Friday.

“July through September was our best quarter in port history at almost three million TEUs [twenty-foot equivalent units],” he added.

The figure covers the three-month period that the port described as its busiest on record.

Seroka also provided a broader comparison by extending the period back to June.

“Stretch it back to June, and we moved almost four million container units,” he said.

He described that as “the strongest four-month stretch that we’ve ever had.”

The figures therefore distinguish between the record July-to-September quarter and the stronger four-month stretch that included June.

Strong movement despite uncertainty

The performance was reported despite continued uncertainty over tariffs, an issue affecting the backdrop in which the port was moving containers.

The report also referred to shifting global trade supply chains, placing the record quarter within a period of change in international cargo movement.

With its role as the leading US gateway for imports from China and other Asian countries, the port’s quarterly record highlights the scale of activity passing through a key link in that trade.

Source: South China Morning Post