The Port of Los Angeles reached a major milestone in June, handling more than one million container units in a single month for just the third time in its 118-year history.
According to Port officials, dockworkers moved 1,002,734 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) during June, making it the busiest June ever recorded at the nation’s largest container port. The achievement also marks the third time the Port has surpassed the 1 million TEU mark in a single month, a feat no other port in the Western Hemisphere has accomplished.
June cargo volume showed a 12% increase over the same month in 2025, growth driven by strong consumer demand and businesses moving shipments earlier than usual amid changing trade policies, rising fuel costs, and continued uncertainty in global supply chains.
“Crossing the one million container mark for the third time and closing our fiscal year with more than 10.4 million TEUs are remarkable accomplishments,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka.
Seroka credited the Port’s workforce and logistics partners for achieving the record-setting month while maintaining efficient cargo movement.
“We achieved these results without vessel backlogs or cargo delays,” Seroka said. “Thanks to the women and men of the ILWU, our terminal operators, truckers, rail partners, and everyone across our supply chain whose professionalism and commitment continue to make Los Angeles the nation’s premier gateway.”
During the Port’s monthly media briefing, Seroka noted that importers are continuing to adjust to an evolving global trade environment by shipping goods whenever market conditions are favorable, rather than relying on traditional seasonal shipping schedules.
The Port imported 530,558 loaded TEUs in June, an increase of 13% over the same month last year and the third-highest monthly import volume in Port history. Loaded exports remained relatively steady at 126,365 TEUs, while 345,811 empty containers were shipped overseas, a 17% increase from June 2025 as equipment returned to Asia to support continued manufacturing demand.
For the first half of 2026, the Port has handled 5,122,603 TEUs, placing cargo volumes 3% ahead of the same period last year.
For Southern California’s boating and maritime community, continued cargo growth reinforces the Port of Los Angeles’ role as one of the region’s primary economic engines. The Port supports thousands of maritime jobs, from longshore workers and tug operators to truck drivers, terminal operators and vessel service providers, while remaining one of the busiest commercial harbors in the world.
The latest figures also underscore the Port’s ability to accommodate growing cargo volumes while avoiding the vessel congestion and shipping delays that challenged supply chains just a few years ago, highlighting continued investments in terminal operations, infrastructure and logistics coordination.
