The Port of Long Beach moved nearly 1 million TEUs in October, marking its busiest month in its 113-year history.
This record-breaking volume was driven by strong demand for holiday goods and delayed container ship arrivals caused by a nearby traffic incident and fire that affected some terminal operations at the end of September.
“We appreciate the hard work of our waterfront workforce and terminal operators as they continue to move cargo at a record-setting pace by moving nearly 1 million TEUs without congestion or backlogs,” stated Mario Cordero, CEO of Port of Long Beach.
In total, the Californian port handled 987,191 TEUs in October, representing a significant 30.7% increase over the same month last year, and surpassing the previous one-month record set in August 2024 by 8%.
In particular, imports rose by 34.2% to 487,563 TEUs, while exports increased by 25.3% to 112,845 TEUs. At the same time, movement of empty containers grew 28.1%, reaching 386,782 TEUs.
October was the fifth consecutive month of year-over-year cargo growth for the San Pedro Bay port, which has handled 7,904,564 TEUs in the first 10 months of 2024, translating to a 20.2% growth over the same period in 2023.
“Our string of recent records demonstrates the strength of our customer service and ongoing collaboration with labour and industry stakeholders. Our top priority is to quickly move goods from the docks to doorsteps and store shelves as we head into the busy holiday shopping season,” commented Bonnie Lowenthal, President of the Long Beach Harbor Commission.
