Container throughput at the Port of Los Angeles rose in April by 9pc from a year earlier, but future volumes may soften amid elevated goods prices and shifting trade dynamics.
The port handled 842,906 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) in April, up from 770,337 TEU in April 2024 and the third-highest April on record. Port executive director Gene Seroka attributed the increase to retailers and manufacturers front-loading cargo ahead of the end of a 90-day pause in US tariffs on Chinese imports.
But Seroka warned that the gains are likely temporary, a "last push" before tariffs resume. China's share of the port's business has dropped to about 45pc compared with about 60pc last year, and that share is expected to fall further, he said.
Despite temporary tariff relief, Seroka said he does not expect a surge in bookings, as prices remain elevated and volumes are running below seasonal norms. Once the tariff pause ends, new duties will apply only to goods loading at origin ports, not those already in transit or unloading in Los Angeles.
