The Port of Los Angeles recorded a new monthly high in September, handling 954,706 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), a 27% increase over the same month last year.
This surge propelled the port to its best quarter ever, with 2.85 million TEUs processed in the third quarter, surpassing its previous record set in the second quarter of 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, noted that this marked the third consecutive month in 2024 that the port exceeded 900,000 TEUs.
He highlighted that an average of 13 container ships called at the port daily throughout September—35% more than the previous year—as shipping lines deployed additional vessels to manage the high import demand.
The increased activity comes as many shippers redirected cargo to West Coast ports in anticipation of potential disruptions from a dockworkers’ strike on the East Coast.
Although the strike lasted only three days, from October 1-3, unions and employers reached a tentative wage agreement, averting a prolonged impact on East Coast port operations.
Meanwhile, the Port of Long Beach also reported a record-breaking third quarter, handling 2.63 million TEUs—the highest volume recorded in a single quarter at that port.
