Goods moved before tariffs started earlier this year helped put the Port of Long Beach on course to have its all-time busiest year, exceeding the record-setting 9.6 million cargo containers moved in 2024.
According to data from the Port of Long Beach, the port achieved its second-busiest November, when dockworkers and terminal operators moved 817,561 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cargo, down 7.5% from the record set in November 2024. Imports declined 7.5% to 400,505 TEUs and exports decreased 7.5% to 110,122 TEUs.
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Empty containers moving through the Port were down 8.2% to 306,934 TEUs. “Cargo moved at a steady rate with no congestion or disruptions at the Port of Long Beach as consumers, businesses and supply chain partners endured an extraordinary amount of uncertainty caused by shifting trade policies throughout 2025,” said Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero. “We will continue to move trade smoothly through the end of the year, and look forward to a moderate increase in cargo for 2026.”
The Port has moved 9,047,477 TEUs through the first 11 months of 2025, up 2.9% from the same period last year.
“We are closing in on a record year thanks to the outstanding work of our waterfront workforce and terminal operators who have moved a tremendous amount of cargo throughout 2025,” said Long Beach Harbor Commission President Frank Colonna. “We are focused on ensuring consumers are able to purchase gifts at stores and online during this busy holiday season.”