Port of Los Angeles Cargo Rises 12% in April; Up 25% in 2024

LOS ANGELES — The docks at the Port of Los Angeles were busy in April, handling 770,337 container units, a 12% increase over the previous year. It was the ninth consecutive month of year-over-year growth at the nation’s busiest port.

Four months into 2024, waterfront workers have efficiently processed 3,150,841 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) across Los Angeles marine terminals –– nearly 25% more than 2023. That’s also 5% higher than the port’s running five-year average dating back to 2019, including two years of record volumes during the pandemic.

“All our vital operational statistics at the Port of Los Angeles are at or better than pre-COVID levels,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka at the May 20 media briefing. “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.”

Seroka was joined at the port’s media briefing by Daniel Hackett of Hackett Associates, which produces a rolling six-month forecast of imports of 16 major container ports across North America. Hackett shared insights into the rise of West Coast cargo volumes over the past year and the outlook for a traditional “peak season” shipping season later this year.

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April 2024 loaded imports landed at 416,929 TEUs, up 21% compared to the previous year. Loaded exports came in at 133,046 TEUs, an increase of 51% compared to last year. April marked the 11th consecutive month of year-over-year export gains.

The port processed 220,262 empty containers, a 14% decrease compared to 2023.