The Pier 300 channel at the Port of Los Angeles. Photo courtesy Port of Los Angeles
The Port of Los Angeles handled a record 1,042,652 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in September, marking the busiest month in its 118-year history as strong consumer demand and shifting global trade routes continued to drive cargo volumes through the nation’s busiest container port.
September’s total surpassed the previous monthly record, set in July 2025, by more than 20,000 TEUs. It also capped the port’s busiest quarter on record, with nearly 3 million TEUs handled between July and September.
The port moved nearly 4 million TEUs over the four months beginning in June, another all-time high.
“September was a month for the record books, and it was part of an extraordinary run for the Port of Los Angeles,” said Executive Director Gene Seroka. “Consumer demand remains resilient, importers are replenishing inventories and more cargo is being allocated to Los Angeles as shippers navigate continued challenges along other global trade routes.”
Loaded imports reached 545,696 TEUs in September, up 19% from a year earlier, while loaded exports climbed 10% to 125,751 TEUs. Empty container movements totaled approximately 371,206 TEUs, also a monthly record.
Seroka attributed the strong performance in part to greater certainty around tariffs, which have fallen from levels seen earlier this year, allowing importers to replenish inventories. Continued consumer spending and disruptions affecting the Suez and Panama Canal routes have also contributed to the surge.
The results extend an unusually strong shipping season that has repeatedly defied expectations. In September, the National Retail Federation revised its import forecast upward, predicting September would become the busiest month of the year for container imports at major U.S. ports.
Earlier in the year, retailers accelerated shipments to get ahead of tariff changes and supply chain uncertainty, raising expectations that the traditional late-summer peak would arrive early. Instead, cargo volumes have remained elevated.
Los Angeles has been among the biggest beneficiaries. The port surpassed 1 million TEUs in June before recording another strong month in July and continuing its momentum through August and September.
Speaking during the port’s monthly media briefing, Harvard Business School professor Willy Shih said ongoing trade uncertainty is changing how companies manage their supply chains.
“Companies are moving from purely optimizing for cost to optimizing for options,” Shih said. “With so much uncertainty in global trade, businesses are looking for greater flexibility in where they source, manufacture and move their goods.”
For the first nine months of 2026, the Port of Los Angeles handled nearly 8.1 million TEUs, more than 3% ahead of the same period last year.
The record comes despite continued pressure on global shipping from tariffs, high fuel costs and geopolitical disruptions. Those challenges have complicated cargo forecasting and encouraged shippers to adjust traditional routing and inventory strategies.
Whether the momentum continues through the remainder of the year remains uncertain. The National Retail Federation’s September forecast called for U.S. import volumes to ease in October and November following the late-season surge.
For now, Los Angeles continues to handle cargo at a historic pace.
“Our waterfront workforce and supply chain partners have done a tremendous job handling these record volumes while keeping cargo moving,” Seroka said. “After the best month, quarter and four-month stretch in Port history, our focus is simple: finish the year strong and keep delivering for our customers.”
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The Port of Los Angeles reported its best single month in its history. In a media briefing, port executive director Gene Seroka announced the port processed 1,042,652 TEUs, 23k TEUs more than the July 2025 record.
U.S. container imports are finally beginning to slow after an unusually long peak shipping season that stretched through the summer and into early fall, according to the latest Global Port Tracker report from the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates. The slowdown comes after months of stronger-than-expected cargo volumes at major U.S. ports, as retailers continued bringing in merchandise despite tariffs, inflation and higher transportation costs. Ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled 2.3 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in August, up 0.4% from July but down 0.7% from a year earlier. August now appears to have been the busiest month of 2026, marking a shift from last month’s forecast that September would take the top spot. “Even with any fluctuations in final data, we’re likely past the busiest part of the year,” said Jonathan Gold, NRF vice president for supply chain and customs policy. “The truth is that the peak season started early and was stretched out through the summer and early fall, with the difference from month to month often amounting to little more than a rounding error,” Gold said. The latest forecast puts September imports at 2.28 million TEUs, down from the 2.31 million TEUs projected a month ago. October is expected to ease further to 2.25 million TEUs before volumes fall to 2 million TEUs in November. Despite the expected slowdown, imports are still running well ahead of last year in some months. September volumes are forecast to rise 8.2% year over year, followed by an 8.5% increase in October. The revised outlook follows a peak season that has repeatedly defied expectations. Retailers moved merchandise into the country earlier this year to get ahead of tariff changes and supply chain uncertainty, initially raising expectations that imports would peak early and decline through the summer. Instead, volumes remained elevated, with shipping delays and resilient consumer demand helping extend the traditional peak season. The strength has been evident at individual ports. The Port of Los Angeles recorded its busiest three-month stretch on record during June, July and August, while the Port of Savannah reported a record September earlier this week, handling 504,015 TEUs, up 3.7% from a year earlier. Hackett Associates founder Ben Hackett said the economic outlook remains mixed, with consumers continuing to spend despite signs of weakening confidence. “Despite this, consumers appear to remain confident and cautious at the same time, with consumer confidence indexes sliding to multi-year lows while consumer spending continues to be robust in the face of increasing inflation,” Hackett said. For the full year, Global Port Tracker now expects imports at major U.S. container ports to reach 25.8 million TEUs, up 1.4% from 25.4 million TEUs in 2025. That is slightly above last month’s forecast of 25.7 million TEUs. Looking ahead, January 2027 imports are forecast at 2.07 million TEUs, down 1.9% year over year, followed by 1.92 million TEUs in February, up 1%. For retailers, the extended shipping season means much of the merchandise needed for the holidays is already in the country, reducing the need for another major import surge before year-end. “Most holiday merchandise has arrived, and the remainder of the year is just a matter of last-minute replenishment and preparation for early 2027,” Gold said.
The Port of Savannah handled a record 504,015 twenty-foot equivalent units in September, up 3.7% from a year earlier as strong imports and a later-than-usual peak season boosted volumes.
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