Ports Briefs: POLA Cargo Drops, Wharf Restoration at Berths 177–182 Completed

Port of Long Beach Sees Cargo Decline for May

LOS ANGELES —Trade moving through the Port of Long Beach declined 8.2% in May due to tariffs and retaliatory tariffs, but a temporary pause on those fees will likely trigger a cargo surge by late June.

Dockworkers and terminal operators processed 639,160 twenty-foot equivalent units in May, down 8.2% from the same month last year. Imports dropped 13.4% to 299,116 TEUs and exports decreased 18.6% to 82,149 TEUs. Empty containers moving through the Port rose 3.2% to 257,895 TEUs.

“We remain cautiously optimistic that import cargo will rebound at the end of June and into July just in time for the peak shipping season, when retailers stock the shelves with back-to-school supplies and begin preparations for the winter holidays,” said Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero. “While uncertainty remains for the business sector, the Port of Long Beach is continuing to invest in rail and terminal improvements to move cargo efficiently, safely and sustainably.”

The port has moved 4,042,228 TEUs during the first five months of 2025, up 17.2% from the same period in 2024.

Port of Los Angeles Completes Construction of Berths 177-182 Wharf Restoration Project

LOS ANGELES — The Port of Los Angeles has completed construction of the $22.7 million Berths 177-182 Wharf Restoration project located along the East Basin Channel in Wilmington.

Approved by the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners in September 2023, the project began construction in November 2023, and included constructing approximately 382 linear feet of concrete wharf, 62-feet-wide. Work also includes slope erosion repair and bollard upgrades.

The new wharf, designed in compliance with the port’s seismic code, partially replaced a timber wharf that was extensively damaged in a fire that occurred in 2014. 

“The completion of this project on the heels of the catastrophic Eaton and Palisades fires is a stark reminder of the need to rebuild with long-term resiliency as a top priority,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka. “We’re proud to deliver this key infrastructure project as steel-handling operations remain uninterrupted.” 

The project allows terminal operator Pasha Stevedoring & Terminals to continue shipping and receiving of steel products, including coils of sheet metal and wire rods, tubing, piping, rebar and other bulk material. Pasha’s terminal is a specialized 40-acre steel-handling facility with covered on-dock warehouses that comprise a 116,000 square-foot transit shed. The Port of Los Angeles is the largest steel-handling port on the West Coast.

Pasha operates two marine terminals at the Port of Los Angeles, including the site of the Green Omni Terminal Project, which demonstrates a full range of zero- and near-zero emissions equipment and vehicles.