Volumes for the month of December and calendar year 2024 were very strong at the Port of Los Angeles (POLA) and the Port of Long Beach (POLB), according to data recently respectively issued by the ports.
POLA reported that total December volume, at 921,616 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units), posted a 24.12% annual increase. Imports, at 460,915 TEU, increased 26.4% annually, and exports, at 110,483 TEU, fell 9.12% annually, with total loaded imports and exports, at 571,399 TEU, up 17.51% annually. Empty containers, at 350,217 TEU, headed up 36.65%.
For calendar year 2024, total POLA volume came in at 10,297,352 TEU, for a 19.32% annual gain. POLA said that this marks the second highest-volume year in the port’s 117-year history.
Earlier this week, at POLA’s 10th annual State of the Port event, POLA Executive Director Gene Seroka said that the 19.32% gain translates into 1.7 million TEU, marking the largest incremental annual gain in POLA history.
“We moved that cargo efficiently and without a single ship backed up,” said Seroka. “That’s the kind of traffic that’s driven here, and it’s because of a strong U.S. economy with robust imports and exports, the best labor force, bar none, in the world, on the docks and on the roads, significant investments by our two great western railroads, the Union Pacific and BNSF Railway, to efficiently accommodate increased cargo in and out of the San Pedro Bay, and unparalleled infrastructure and great data drive even better performance.”
POLB data: The Port of Long Beach reported that total December volume, at 861,006 TEU, increased 21.3% annually, setting a new December record, topping December 2020 by 5.5%. Imports, at 412,876 TEU, rose 23.9%, and exports, at 100,792 TEU, fell 2.8% annually. Empty containers, at 347,388 TEU, increased 27.3% annually.
POLB calendar year 2024 volume, at 9,649,724 TEU, headed up 24.3% annually, topping the previous record set in 2021, which was more than 9.3 million TEU, by 2.8%. Imports, at 4,729,552 TEU, were up 24.3%, and exports, at 1,207,036 TEU, were down 5.9%. Empty containers, at 3,713,137 TEU, saw a 26.6% annual gain.
In an interview with LM, POLB Executive Director Mario Cordero explained that key drivers for the strong growth numbers were a strong economy and resilient consumer demand throughout 2024, adding that was evident in holiday season shopping numbers to end the year, which came in ahead of expectations.
“We still do have a very good economy, and the inflationary trajectory is going in the right direction, at least so far,” said Cordero. “I think those were contributing factors. Another component was the East and Gulf port labor negotiations [driving] a percentile of cargo that came to the West Coast, more specifically to Long Beach, as well as the front loading of imports, given the anticipation of tariffs.”
