The Port of Long Beach says that August marked its strongest month for cargo volume in its 113-year history.
Workers at the port moved more than 913,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cargo in August, besting the Port of Long Beach’s previous record for a single month by 6,657 TEUs. The port also saw a 33.9% year-over-year increase in TEUs for the month, along with a 40.4% increase in imports and a 12% bump in exports. As for what’s driven the added volume, Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero pointed to a couple factors in a September 12 briefing.
“Cargo diversions and concerns about upcoming tariffs are creating a busy peak season for us,” Cordero shared. “We’re prepared for the uptick in shipments and continued growth through the rest of the year.”
Retailers appear to be preparing for the possibility of a work stoppage at East and Gulf Coast ports, as negotiations between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) have remained at a standstill. If the ILA and USMX can’t agree to a new collective bargaining deal by the end of September, dockworkers at East and Gulf Coast ports have said that they plan to go on strike starting on October 1. Tariffs have been front-of-mind for shippers ahead of the November presidential election as well, with former President Donald Trump threatening to implement blanket 10% tariffs on all goods imported into the U.S. from China.
