{"id":135230,"date":"2026-01-15T22:23:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T22:23:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/135230\/"},"modified":"2026-01-15T22:23:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T22:23:07","slug":"port-of-long-beach-moved-a-record-setting-9-9m-containers-in-2025-despite-tariff-uncertainty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/135230\/","title":{"rendered":"Port of Long Beach Moved a Record-Setting 9.9M Containers in 2025 Despite ‘Tariff Uncertainty’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tThe Port of Long Beach<\/a> (POLB) set an all-time record for container volumes<\/a> in 2025, despite the hurdles to global trade caused by President Trump\u2019s expansive \u201creciprocal\u201d tariffs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe gateway, which represents one half of the nation\u2019s busiest port complex alongside the Port of Los Angeles, moved 9.9 million twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) last year, surpassing the 9 million mark for the first time.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe first four months of 2025 saw the port surpass the TEU movement volumes of all U.S. ports, in fact, with apparel among the top three categories for imports alongside furniture and electronics.<\/p>\n

\n\tAt the State of the Port Address in Long Beach on Thursday, newly appointed POLB CEO Noel Hacegaba, who replaced Mario Cordero earlier this month, said the port\u2019s import volumes made up much of the volume increase, reaching an unprecedented 4.8 million TEUs \u201cthanks to all the frontloading of cargo by importers wanting to get ahead of new tariffs\u201d especially during the first half of the year.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe also exported over one million TEUs\u2014not our highest ever, but still strong considering all the retaliatory tariffs imposed on U.S. exports,\u201d he added. Five of the POLB\u2019s six container terminals handled more than 1 million TEUs each, and two terminals processed over 2 million, helping the port to increase its share of cargo movement within the San Pedro Bay complex to 48.9 percent.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI don\u2019t want to minimize the impact of the tariff uncertainty<\/a>. Certain segments in the supply chain felt the impacts more than others, like our drayage providers,\u201d Hacegaba said.<\/p>\n

\n\tTariffs have had \u201can immediate effect,\u201d including \u201creshap[ing] trade patterns,\u201d he added. \u201cSix years ago, about 70 percent of all our cargo\u2014imports and exports\u2014was tied to China. Today, that\u2019s down to 60 percent.\u201d Instead, more cargo is traveling through the gateway from Vietnam, Thailand and nations throughout Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n

\n\tHacegaba also noted the \u201cmixed picture\u201d of consumer spending illustrated in 2025, with growth on a downswing from the prior year but \u201cremaining resilient.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cDespite all of the frontloading of cargo, the inventory-to-sales ratio trended downward last year, meaning inventory will have to be replenished in 2026,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe port, like importers, exporters and virtually all players that make up global supply chains, is waiting with bated breath on the Supreme Court\u2019s decision on Trump\u2019s International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariffs case.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe Supreme Court\u2019s opinion is poised to rule on the legality of the tariffs, but it will not remove the uncertainty already created by tariffs,\u201d he said. \u201cThe only certainty is more uncertainty.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHowever the tariff ruling shakes out, the port is projecting another high-volume year. Hacegaba said he believes the POLB expects to handle another 9 million TEUs this year, which would make 2026 one of the top five busiest years of all time.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe new CEO expressed confidence in the continued acceleration in the flow of goods, especially in the long term. \u201cWe are setting our sights on 2050,\u201d he said. According to the port\u2019s latest cargo forecast 2050 will see container volumes reach 20 million TEUs.<\/p>\n

\t\tEnvironmental progress\t<\/p>\n

\n\tAdditionally, 2050 represents a landmark year for the maritime industry at large, with the International Maritime Organization establishing a legally binding framework to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships across the globe to net-zero.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe POLB, which has dubbed itself \u201cThe Green Port,\u201d is \u201cexploring\u201d the development of the first conventional, zero-emissions terminal in the world, Hacegaba said.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Harbor Commission approved an exclusivity agreement with Brookfield Infrastructure Group, which he said would work with Nautilus International on construction of a Metro Express Terminal which could handle 1.8 million TEUs annually for express vessels of up to 9,000 TEUs. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cTheir plan is to use zero-emissions, human-operated equipment and a streamlined \u2018peel off\u2019 model supported by 24\/7 gate access, free flow cargo stacks and zero-emissions trucks\u2014aiming to provide shippers with fast and reliable service while delivering cleaner air and less traffic congestion to surrounding neighborhoods,\u201d the CEO said.<\/p>\n

\n\tLast year represented the 20 year anniversary of the POLB\u2019s Green Port Policy<\/a>\u2014its plan become the first zero-emissions gateway in the U.S.<\/p>\n

\n\tHacegaba said the goal is still on track. \u201cThe development of modern, sustainable infrastructure is all part of our 10-year, $3.2 billion dollar Capital Improvement Program, the largest of any seaport in North America,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe focal point of that plan is the $1.8 billion dollar On-Dock Rail Support Facility at Pier B, which received a $52.3 million grant<\/a> from the U.S. Department of Transportation\u2019s Maritime Administration in 2022.<\/p>\n

\n\tConstruction began on the project in 2023, and it\u2019s slated for completion in 2032. The pier will provide terminals with a facility where they can direct smaller segments to join into full-size trains, which has already increased the velocity of cargo and will ultimately eliminate about 7.3 million truck trips, Cordero said upon the project\u2019s confirmation.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cCurrently, the average time from ship to train is just under four days,\u201d Hacegaba said Thursday. \u201cWith Pier B, our goal is to get that down to 24 hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t2026 also represents the 20-year anniversary of the San Pedro Bay Ports\u2019 Clean Air Action Plan, Hacegaba said.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe port is working with marine terminal operators to launch a \u201cGreen Lanes\u201d program, which will prioritize port access for trucks using green energy during the busiest times of day. In addition, the POLB is working with its partners for the first \u201cGreen Trucking Corridor\u201d in the U.S., which will deploy clean energy trucks across the busiest trucking routes in the region.<\/p>\n

\n\tSpeaking to the project\u2019s progress, Hacegaba pointed to 4 Gen Logistics<\/a>, which achieved its goal of hitting zero emissions for drayage. The company now has an emission-free fleet of more than 75 trucks, most of which charges and resides at the POLB.<\/p>\n

\t\tData flow and transparency\t<\/p>\n

\n\tThe port received a hefty sum of $7.87 million from the state of California to facilitate the building of new features for its \u201cSupply Chain Information Highway<\/a>\u201d in 2024. The platform allows shippers, ocean carriers, trucking firms and other supply chain stakeholders to track cargo throughout its journey. Ports across the country have their own community portals, providing connectivity from coast to coast.<\/p>\n

\n\tNow, the POLB is launching a new tool called \u201cCargoNav,\u201d a digital platform that will facilitate the tracking of shipments and enhance the ability to track shipments with real-time data. Shippers will be able to track individual containers<\/a> from point of origin to point of arrival at the dock through to the shipment to the final destination.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cOne thing we know is that the port of the future has to be fast. We also know that visibility drives velocity. And, when we improve data flow, we improve cargo flow,\u201d Hacegaba said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Port of Long Beach (POLB) set an all-time record for container volumes in 2025, despite the hurdles…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":135231,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[69002,69003,131,133,132,3359,3429],"class_list":["post-135230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-containers","tag-logistics","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news","tag-port-of-long-beach","tag-tariffs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135230","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135230"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135230\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/135231"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}