LONG BEACH, CA — The Port of Long Beach handled nearly 1 million container units in September, setting an all-time monthly record in its 115-year history as international shipping companies adjust to changing tariffs, disruptions along major trade routes and growing demand for West Coast cargo facilities.
The port processed 997,177 twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs), surpassing its previous record of 987,191 TEUs, set in October 2024, by 9,986 units. The September total represented a 25 percent increase from the 797,537 TEUs handled during the same month last year.
The milestone coincided with another record at the neighboring Port of Los Angeles, which handled 1,042,652 TEUs in September, its busiest month in 118 years.
Together, the two ports moved 2,039,829 TEUs, exceeding 2 million units in a single month and underscoring the importance of the San Pedro Bay port complex to Southern California's economy and the nation's supply chains.
Loaded imports accounted for the largest share of Long Beach's September traffic, climbing 31.3 percent from a year earlier to 509,390 TEUs, according to cargo figures reported by Sourcing Journal. Loaded exports increased 7.8 percent to 91,747 TEUs, while empty-container movements rose 22.1 percent to 396,040 TEUs.
The figures illustrate the imbalance between inbound and outbound trade, with imported goods substantially outnumbering loaded exports. Empty containers are routinely returned overseas for reuse, particularly to manufacturing centers in Asia. Through the first nine months of 2026, Long Beach handled 7,675,255 TEUs, an increase of 3.9 percent compared with the same period last year.
The neighboring Port of Los Angeles experienced a similar surge. In its October cargo report, officials attributed the increase partly to lower tariffs, resilient consumer spending and changes in shipping routes as carriers navigate disruptions affecting the Panama and Suez canals.
The record-breaking figures come as Long Beach prepares for additional pressure on the regional transportation network, including the planned closure of the Vincent Thomas Bridge for a major deck replacement project.
During the October edition of the port's Supply Chain Insight program, CEO Noel Hacegaba said officials were preparing a financial incentive program intended to help marine terminal operators maintain cargo movements during the construction period. The bridge, which connects San Pedro and Terminal Island, is a critical transportation link serving the neighboring Port of Los Angeles and the wider harbor complex.
Although details of the incentive program have not yet been established publicly, its inclusion in the port's latest cargo briefing highlights the importance of maintaining freight efficiency during the anticipated disruption. Hacegaba also discussed international shipping challenges, including drought-related restrictions affecting vessels transiting the Panama Canal.
Those restrictions have contributed to longer waiting times and prompted some shipping companies to reconsider their routes, with West Coast ports benefiting from cargo redirected away from traditional shipping corridors.
Weather-related disruptions in Asia have also delayed shipments across the Pacific, Hacegaba said, raising concerns about potential complications ahead of the seasonal increase in cargo movements associated with Lunar New Year in February. Despite those challenges, Hacegaba expressed confidence that cargo traffic through Long Beach would remain strong through the end of the year.
Beyond the immediate pressures on global shipping, the record-breaking month reinforces the port's longer-term efforts to expand cargo-handling capacity and improve connections to inland distribution networks.
In September's Supply Chain Insight update, Hacegaba discussed the importance of rail infrastructure with Anne Reinke, president and CEO of the Intermodal Association of North America. The conversation focused on improving the movement of containers between ships, trains and inland destinations as the port works toward its goal of handling 20 million TEUs annually by 2050.
That ambition forms part of the port's broader modernization strategy, which includes major rail investments designed to reduce cargo transfer times and improve freight transportation efficiency. Among those projects is the Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility, which is intended to substantially increase the port's ability to transfer containers directly between ships and trains.
For the Port of Long Beach, September's record provides another indication of the growing demands on its maritime infrastructure, even as port officials contend with changing trade policies, unpredictable weather and major construction projects.
The challenge now is maintaining that momentum while ensuring the transportation network serving one of the nation's busiest cargo gateways can accommodate future growth.
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