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Port of Long Beach posts ninth straight monthly cargo gain

Tariff fears chase surge in imports

Stuart Chirls
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Longshore workers at Total Terminals International at the Port of Long Beach set a record for container moves in June. (Photo: POLB)

Key Takeaways:

  • February 2025 saw a 13.4% year-over-year increase in cargo volume at the Port of Long Beach, totaling 765,385 TEUs.
  • Imports increased by 11.8%, while exports rose by 2.9%, and empty container movement jumped by 19.1%.
  • This growth marks nine consecutive months of increased cargo movement, potentially linked to retailers' preemptive actions against anticipated tariffs.
  • The first two months of 2025 showed a substantial 27.4% year-over-year increase in total TEUs handled (1,718,118).
Key takeaways sponsored by SONAR

In February, trade passing through the Port of Long Beach, California, experienced significant growth, marking the ninth consecutive month of increased cargo movement, and corresponding with retailers’ strategic efforts to move goods in advance of anticipated tariffs.

Volume totaled 765,385 twenty-foot equivalent units, reflecting a 13.4% increase from February of the previous year. Imports surged by 11.8% to 368,669 TEUs, while exports saw a 2.9% rise to 90,026 TEUs. Meanwhile, the movement of empty containers jumped by 19.1%, to 306,690 TEUs.

Category20252024% Change
Loaded Inbound368,669329,85011.8%
Loaded Outbound90,02687,4742.9%
Empties Inbound14,39712,93011.3%
Empties Outbound292,293244,47019.6%
Total (TEU)765,385674,72313.4%
(Chart: Port of Long Beach)

Overall, in the first two months of 2025, the port managed to move a substantial 1,718,118 TEUs, up 27.4% y/y. 

Find more articles by Stuart Chirls here.

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Stuart Chirls

Stuart Chirls is a journalist who has covered the full breadth of railroads, intermodal, container shipping, ports, supply chain and logistics for Railway Age, the Journal of Commerce and IANA. He has also staffed at S&P, McGraw-Hill, United Business Media, Advance Media, Tribune Co., The New York Times Co., and worked in supply chain with BASF, the world's largest chemical producer. Reach him at stuartchirls@firecrown.com.