The Port of Los Angeles processed 958,674 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) in March, its third consecutive monthly cargo record. The Port completed its best first quarter ever, tracking 3.5% above last year’s record.
“With improved fluidity on our docks and fewer vessels waiting to enter the port, our terminals are processing cargo at record levels,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka. “Yet we’re not taking anything for granted. We’re using our Port Optimizer data to find developing issues and adjust to market demands. We will keep working at this every day.”
Seroka announced the latest cargo data during a media briefing where he hosted an interview with International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) International President Willie Adams and ILWU Coast Committeeman Frank Ponce De Leon. The ILWU leaders discussed the perils that dockworkers have faced working through COVID-19, upcoming contract negotiations and a range of other issues.
March TEUs of 958,674 TEUs represent the third-best month ever in the Port’s 115-year history, just behind the 1,012,048 TEUs recorded last May and 980,729 TEUs in October 2020.
March 2022 loaded imports reached 495,196 TEUs compared to the previous year, an increase of 1%. Loaded exports came in at 11,781 TEUs, a 9% decrease compared to the same period last year. Exports have now declined 37 of the last 41 months in Los Angeles.
Empty containers climbed to 351,697 TEUs, a jump of 2% compared to last year.
Three months into 2022, overall cargo volume has reached 2,682,034 TEUs, a 3.5% increase compared to 2021.
The busiest seaport in the Western Hemisphere, the Port of Los Angeles is North America’s leading trade gateway and has ranked as the number one container port in the United States for 22 consecutive years. In 2021, the Port facilitated $294 billion in trade and handled a total of 10.7 million container units, the busiest calendar year in the Port’s 115-year history. San Pedro Bay port complex operations and commerce facilitate one in nine jobs across the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura.