The Port of Los Angeles handled a record 954 706 TEUs in September, marking a 27% increase in volume compared to the same month last year.
This pushed the port to achieve its best-ever quarter, handling 2.85 million TEUs in the third quarter, exceeding its previous record that was set during the Covid-19 pandemic in the second quarter of 2021.
Los Angeles port executive director, Gebe Seroka, said this marked three consecutive months this year when the port had hit 900 000 TEUs.
He added that an average of 13 container vessels had called at the port daily during September, which was 35% more than the same month last year. Shipping lines added extra loaders to help the port cope with the import demand.
This comes after some shippers redirected cargo to the country’s West Coast ports in anticipation of massive supply chain disruption due to an expected East Coast port dockworkers’ strike. However, the strike only lasted for three days from October 1-3 before unions and employers reached a tentative wage agreement.
Meanwhile, the Port of Long Beach last week reported that it had handled 2.63m TEUs in the third quarter, the highest volume it has ever handled in a single quarter.
