The Port of Long Beach saw its second-busiest January to start the new year despite the effects of the ongoing China-U.S. trade war and widespread economic uncertainty.
Long Beach, which with the Port of Los Angeles comprises the busiest U.S. container gateway, moved 847,765 twenty foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers in January. That was down 11% from January 2025, the hub’s best January and second-busiest month in its 115-year history.
Those gains came on late 2025 orders, as well as some early frontloading by importers ahead of the February Lunar New Year holiday.
Imports fell 13.1% to 409,818 TEUs while exports improved 0.8% to 99,478 TEUs. Empty containers, an indicator of future import shipments, were off by 11.5% to 338,470 TEUs.
“We are leading the nation in trade, and providing a safe harbor in the sea of tariff and trade uncertainty for our customers and the goods movement industry,” said port Chief Executive Dr. Noel Hacegaba in an online media briefing Wednesday. It was the first such event since Hacegaba succeeded Mario Cordero, who retired.
Long Beach moved a record 9.9 million TEUs in 2025, boosted by importers bringing in shipments earlier than usual in the face of a spring game of tariff tag between President Donald Trump and China.
Hacegaba anticipates continued uncertainty following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling last week declaring unconstitutional two-thirds of tariffs imposed by Trump in 2025 under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
While some tariffs remain in place, Trump pivoted to an additional universal 10% additional temporary tariffs which expire in July.
“While this decision ruled on the legality of the IEEPA tariffs, it did little to remove the uncertainty we’ve seen – and continue to see – across the global supply chain,” Hacegaba said. “Our customers are seeking clarity on whether tariffs already paid will be refunded, and consumers are seeking relief from higher prices.”
Read more articles by Stuart Chirls here.
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