LOS ANGELES—The Port of Los Angeles announced July 14 that last month was its busiest June on record and the port moved 27 percent more cargo than the previous June.
The port processed 876,430 20-foot equivalent units last month, closing the 2021-22 fiscal year with 10,879,383 TEUs, the most in a year for any Western Hemisphere port.
Of the total cargo, 467,763 TEUs were imports, a 27 percent increase from last June’s imports. Exports decreased by 12 percent to 96,067, which was the lowest amount of exports at the port since 2005. The number of empty containers that moved through the port increased by 47 percent to 312,600 TEUs, the port said, attributing heavy demand for containers in Asia.
In May, the port became the first port in the Western Hemisphere to handle more than a million TEUs in one month, with 1,012,248 TEUs processed in May, the most in the port’s 114-year history.
In the last year, the port eclipsed eight monthly records and experienced its two highest-performing quarters.
“Key economic indicators all suggest that U.S. consumer spending will remain strong through the remainder of 2021,” said Port of Los Angeles executive director Gene Seroka. “Even as Americans return to airline travel, vacations and in-person events, retail sales and e-commerce remain robust.
“Fall fashion, back-to-school items and Halloween goods are arriving on our docks, and some retailers are shipping year-end holiday products early,” he added. “All signs point to a robust second half of the year, which is good news for the nearly 1 million residents in the region who have jobs tied to the San Pedro Bay port complex.”
The port experienced a 44 percent increase in cargo volume during the first six months of 2021 compared to 2020. Overall cargo so far this year reached 5,427,359 TEUs.
