Stacked containers are shown as ships unload their cargo at the Port of Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California, U.S. November 22, 2021. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo
The Port of Los Angeles reported its ninth consecutive month of year-on-year growth, handling 770,337 container units in April 2024. This marks a 12% increase from the last year’s figures.
According to the data, workers at the nation’s busiest container port processed nearly 25% more Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) in the first four months of 2024, bringing the total to 3,150,841 TEUs. This volume surpasses the port’s running five-year average by 5%, including record volumes during the pandemic.
Notably, April 2024 saw loaded imports landing at 416,929 TEUs, up 21% from the previous year. Loaded exports increased by 51% compared to last year, with 133,046 TEUs processed. This trend marks 11 continuous months of year-over-year export gains. However, the port processed 220,262 empty containers in April, a 14% decrease from 2023.
Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka confirmed in a recent media briefing that all operational statistics are at or better than pre-COVID levels. “I’ve been urging shippers to take advantage of our fluid terminals and excess capacity. We’re ready to upscale on demand as we move into the second half of 2024,” he said.
Daniel Hackett of Hackett Associates, who joined Seroka at the briefing, provided insights into the rise of West Coast cargo volumes. Hackett Associates produces the popular Global Port Tracker report by the National Retail Federation. Hackett predicts volumes to remain strong through the peak shipping season, although year-on-year growth rates might be lower in the second half of 2024. The West Coast growth rates have surged compared to U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports, a trend that is expected to continue albeit at a lower rate.
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