August represented the Port of Long Beach’s (POLB) most productive month in its 113-year history, with retailers rushing to bring in cargo ahead of newly solidified tariff increases and ongoing labor disputes at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports.
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The SoCal gateway reported that dockworkers and terminal operators moved a whopping 913,873 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) last month—besting last year’s August performance by 33.9 percent. The tremendous haul of TEUs outpaced the POLB’s previous one-month record, set in May 2021, by 6,657 TEUs.
According to the Port’s data, imports ballooned by more than 40 percent from August 2023, hitting 456,868 TEUs in total, and exports also increased at a slower rate of 12 percent to 104,646 TEUs. Empty containers, too, saw a significant bump, with 352,360 TEUs—an increase of more than one-third from the same period last year—making their way through the gateway.
The four-week stretch marked the POLB’s third consecutive monthly year-over-year increase, it reported. August was also the second time in the Port’s history that it exceeded 900,000 TEUs in a single month.
“Cargo diversions and concerns about upcoming tariffs are creating a busy peak season for us,” said Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero. “We’re prepared for the uptick in shipments and continued growth through the rest of the year with a dedicated waterfront workforce, modern infrastructure and plenty of capacity across our terminals.”
“The docks are bustling with record-setting activity as we continue to move cargo quickly, reliably and sustainably,” added Long Beach Harbor Commission president Bonnie Lowenthal. “As the premier gateway for trans-Pacific trade, the Port of Long Beach is delivering on its promise of outstanding service and facilitating the most efficient movement of goods across the supply chain.”
During the first eight months of this year, TEU traffic has grown more than 21 percent from the same period in 2023, totaling 6,087,875 TEUs.
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The increased Port traffic in August—and throughout the summer—points to a pulling forward of the peak season based on back-to-school and holiday sales, which have been inching earlier and earlier. But the relative rush seen by the POLB this August was also precipitated by a confluence of logistical conundrums, from roiling Red Sea attacks that have forced ships to reroute around Africa and potential strikes at other national gateways.
What’s more, the Biden Administration last week finalized a plan to levy hefty new tariffs on China-made goods like electric vehicles, batteries and ship-to-shore cranes used at American ports. The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) pushed back the implementation , which was set for Aug. 1, amid an outpouring of concern from the American business community. The tariffs will now take effect on Sept. 27.
The country’s gateways, too—among them, the POLB—rallied against the 25-percent tariff increase on ship-to-shore cranes . Used to load and unload containers at port terminals, detractors said that the added duties could cost the country’s essential gateways up to $130 million.
Importers are also likely looking to stockpile product as rhetoric surrounding tariffs ramps up around the presidential election.
Former president Donald Trump has said he would raise Section 301 punitive duties on Chinese products up to 60 percent if re-elected, and would implement a 10 percent to 20 percent universal tariff that would impact all U.S. trading partners. Vice President Kamala Harris is unlikely to levy new tariffs if elected, according to analysts at Goldman Sachs, but she has also not indicated any intention to roll back or remove Biden-led duties on goods hailing from China.
September Set for 14% Import Bump as US Ports Prep for East Coast Strike
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