Los Angeles port sets September cargo record as loaded imports rise 19%

The Port of Los Angeles handled 1,042,652 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in September, its highest monthly throughput in 118 years, gCaptain reported. Loaded imports increased 19% from a year earlier as consumer demand, restocking and changes in global cargo routing supported traffic at the busiest US container port.

September throughput exceeded the previous monthly high, recorded in July 2025, by more than 20,000 TEUs. The result brought July-September volumes to nearly 3 million TEUs, setting a quarterly record. Across the four months starting in June, the port processed almost 4 million TEUs, also its strongest performance for that period.

Loaded inbound containers accounted for 545,696 TEUs in September, while loaded exports rose 10% year on year to 125,751 TEUs. Empty container movements reached approximately 371,206 TEUs, a monthly high, according to the figures reported by gCaptain. Through the first nine months of 2026, total port throughput was nearly 8.1 million TEUs, more than 3% above the corresponding year-earlier period.

Port executive director Gene Seroka linked the gains partly to greater clarity over tariffs, which he said had declined from earlier levels, enabling importers to rebuild stocks. He also cited sustained consumer spending and disruption on routes through the Suez and Panama canals as factors directing more cargo towards Los Angeles.

The strength prolonged a shipping season that had been expected to peak earlier. Retailers had brought shipments forward to reduce exposure to tariff changes and supply-chain uncertainty, but volumes remained elevated through late summer and September. Los Angeles passed the 1 million TEU threshold in June and maintained strong activity in the following months.

At the port’s monthly briefing, Harvard Business School professor Willy Shih said trade uncertainty was prompting businesses to favour flexibility in sourcing, manufacturing and transport rather than focus solely on minimising costs. The outlook nevertheless points towards softer volumes: a subsequent National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates forecast included in gCaptain’s reporting projected US container imports would ease in October and November after the extended peak season.