The Port of Los Angeles handled more than 1 million twenty-foot equivalent units of cargo in September, setting an all-time monthly record and capping the busiest three-month period in its 118-year history, officials announced Friday.
Waterfront workers processed 1,042,652 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in September, surpassing the previous monthly record set in July 2025 by more than 20,000 units, according to the port.
Port Executive Director Gene Seroka said Friday that nearly 3 million TEUs moved across the port’s docks from July through September, marking its busiest quarter on record. The port also handled nearly 4 million TEUs from June through September, its strongest four-month stretch ever.
“September was a month for the record books, and it was part of an extraordinary run for the Port of Los Angeles,” Seroka said during his monthly media briefing. “Consumer demand remains resilient, importers are replenishing inventories and more cargo is being allocated to Los Angeles as shippers navigate continued challenges along other global trade routes.”
Seroka attributed the surge in cargo activity partly to lower tariffs than those in effect earlier this year, which have provided importers with more certainty about costs. Continued consumer spending and shipping challenges along the Suez and Panama Canal routes have also contributed to increased cargo volumes, he said.
“Our waterfront workforce and supply chain partners have done a tremendous job handling these record volumes while keeping cargo moving,” Seroka said. “After the best month, quarter and four-month stretch in Port history, our focus is simple: finish the year strong and keep delivering for our customers.”
Loaded imports reached 545,696 TEUs in September, up 19% compared with the same month last year. Loaded exports totaled 125,751 TEUs, a 10% year-over-year increase.
Empty container volume totaled approximately 371,206 TEUs, the highest monthly total in port history.
During the first nine months of 2026, the port handled nearly 8.1 million TEUs, more than 3% ahead of the same period last year.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass credited waterfront workers and port leadership for the record-setting performance.
“After its best month in history, the Port of Los Angeles remains an incredible economic engine both locally and nationally, creating good-paying, union jobs for Angelenos and maintaining Los Angeles’ status as a global competitor for trade and commerce,” Bass said in a statement.
Joining Seroka during Friday’s briefing was Harvard Business School professor Willy Shih, who discussed how companies are adjusting their sourcing and manufacturing strategies in response to tariffs, trade policies and supply chain disruptions.
“Companies are moving from purely optimizing for cost to optimizing for options,” Shih said. “With so much uncertainty in global trade, businesses are looking for greater flexibility in where they source, manufacture and move their goods.”
The Port of Los Angeles has ranked as the nation’s busiest container port for 26 consecutive years. In 2025, it handled 10.2 million container units and generated $301 billion in trade, according to port officials.