PORT OF LOS ANGELES STARTS 2019 WITH 852,449 TEUs, BUSIEST JANUARY EVER

7th Consecutive Month Above 800,000 TEU Mark, 5.4% Increase Over Last January

SAN PEDRO, Calif. - February 13, 2019 - The Port of Los Angeles processed 852,449 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) in January, the busiest January in the Port’s 112-year history. The volumes represent a 5.4 percent jump over last January and marks the seventh consecutive month the Port has handled more than 800,000 TEUs.

"These robust volumes reflect the pre-Lunar New Year surge of cargo, continued tariff-related inventory advances and strong consumer demand,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka. “With warehouses and distribution centers already full with spring goods and supplies, we will see softer volumes immediately after the Lunar New Year as anticipated.”

January 2019 imports increased 1.7 percent to 429,923 TEUs compared to the previous year. Exports decreased 3.4 percent to 144,993 TEUs while empty containers increased 17.7 percent to 277,534 TEUs. Combined, January overall volumes were 852,449 TEUs, a 5.4 percent increase compared to last year. 

Current and historical data is available here.

The Port of Los Angeles is America’s premier port and has a strong commitment to developing innovatively strategic and sustainable operations that benefit Southern California’s economy and quality of life. North America’s leading seaport by container volume and cargo value, the Port of Los Angeles facilitated $272 billion in trade during 2016. San Pedro Bay port complex operations and commerce facilitate one in nine jobs in the five-county Southern California region.