Business
Port of Los Angeles posts busiest month and quarter on record
September cargo volume crossed 1 million container units, setting a new monthly high and closing out the busiest quarter in the port’s 118-year history.
The Port of Los Angeles handled 1,042,652 twenty-foot equivalent units, or TEUs, in September, more than 20,000 above its previous monthly record set in July 2025. The official results, announced October 9, also put July through September at nearly 3 million TEUs — the strongest quarter on record.
September volume: 1,042,652 TEUs
Previous record: July 2025, by more than 20,000 TEUs
July–September: Nearly 3 million TEUs
January–September: Nearly 8.1 million TEUs, up more than 3% year over year
Imports, exports and empties all rose
Loaded imports reached 545,696 TEUs, a 19% increase from September 2025, while loaded exports rose 10% to 125,751 TEUs. The port also processed about 371,206 empty containers, another monthly record.
The Port of Los Angeles said the four months from June through September were also its strongest four-month stretch, with nearly 4 million TEUs moving through the complex.
What drove the surge
Executive Director Gene Seroka attributed the volume to lower tariffs, resilient consumer demand and retailers replenishing inventories. He also said disruptions and operating challenges along the Suez and Panama canal routes have steered additional cargo toward Los Angeles.
Independent reporting from the Los Angeles Times and Reuters confirmed the record totals and the role of holiday-season imports. The Times reported that September was the highest monthly volume recorded by any port in the Western Hemisphere.
Sources: Port of Los Angeles — October 9, 2026 → · Los Angeles Times — October 12, 2026 → · Reuters — October 9, 2026 →