Port of Long Beach Cargo Volumes Steady Through October

The Port of Long Beach is moving cargo ahead of the pace achieved last year, largely because retailers ordered shipments early and stocked warehouses before tariffs and reciprocal tariffs were implemented in spring.

In a virtual news conference Nov. 7, Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero and Chief Operating Officer Noel Hacegaba noted that although shifting trade policies have brought uncertainty to consumers and the supply chain, cargo continues to move smoothly at the nation’s second-busiest port.

Looking ahead to the holiday shopping season, Cordero said a robust Black Friday is anticipated, but consumers will likely be cautious with purchases due to rising prices.

“The consumer has not seen significant tariff impacts given that manufacturers, retailers, and others have shared in incurring some of these costs and mitigating price escalation to the consumer, but that may change as we approach 2026,” Cordero said during the news conference. “Consumers will likely see price escalation in the coming months as shippers continue to pass along the cost of tariffs on goods and a higher percentage of these costs will be passed on to the consumer.” 

“Even in the midst of the nation’s longest government shutdown, cargo continues to move smoothly through our port and across the nation’s supply chain,” Hacegaba said. “We continue to coordinate closely with all of our partners to anticipate and mitigate issues before they arise to keep cargo and our economy moving.”

Dockworkers and terminal operators moved 839,671 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cargo containers last month, down 14.9% from October 2024, which remains as the Port’s strongest month in its 114-year history. Imports declined 17.6% to 401,915 TEUs and exports decreased 11.5% to 99,817 TEUs. Empty containers moving through the Port were down 12.6% to 337,940 TEUs.

The Port has moved 8,229,916 TEUs through the first 10 months of 2025, up 4.1% from the same period last year.