The Port of Los Angeles processed 1,002,734 twenty foot equivalent units in June, the busiest June in the port's 118 year history and only the third month ever above 1 million containers at a Western Hemisphere port. Just south, the Port of Long Beach handled 779,331 TEUs, up 10.6% from a year earlier and its third busiest June on record. Both gateways said the surge came from importers pulling forward orders rather than from any change in underlying consumer demand.
Los Angeles volumes rose 12% year on year, with imports climbing 13% to 530,558 TEUs, the port's third highest import month on record. Exports were essentially flat at 126,365 TEUs, while empty containers heading back to Asia jumped 17% to 345,811 TEUs as carriers repositioned equipment. At Long Beach, imports rose 11% to 387,025 TEUs, exports slipped 1.3% to 86,446 TEUs, and empties climbed 14.1% to 305,860 TEUs.
Executive Director Gene Seroka said retailers have stepped away from the traditional fall peak season and are moving cargo whenever trade conditions allow. Long Beach CEO Noel Hacegaba echoed the point, saying businesses are preparing for volatility rather than certainty and restocking shelves before prices move. The behavior lines up with a National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates forecast that U.S. container imports will hit a record 2.47 million TEUs in July.
The pull forward is being driven by a specific policy calendar. Temporary 10% Section 122 tariffs are scheduled to expire on July 24, and the Trump administration is expected to introduce a fresh round of tariffs tied to forced labor as early as August. NRF supply chain policy vice president Jonathan Gold said retailers are also weighing continued uncertainty from the conflict involving Iran on top of the tariff timeline.
For carriers, terminals, and drayage operators, the practical read is that Southern California volumes are running hot without the vessel backlogs that defined 2021 and 2022. Both ports said operations remained fluid through the surge, which suggests capacity is absorbing the front loaded cargo for now. Whether that holds through August, when new duties may land and importers finally pause, is the next test for the transpacific.