Port of Los Angeles Has Its Busiest-Ever September

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The Port of Los Angeles shattered its busiest September record last month, according to newly released data. Image via Port of LA.

The Port of Los Angeles last month shattered its busiest September record when it handled 903,865 TEUs, according to new numbers released by the port Wednesday.

Last month, Los Angeles moved 468,059 TEUs in imports, amounting to the same number of TEUs as those in September 2020. Meanwhile, the port handled its lowest number of exports in 19 years, moving 75,714 TEUs last month. It was 42% fewer exports compared to September 2020, according to port data.

Also, Asia’s demand for empty containers continues, port statistics show. Last month, the number of empty containers exported rose 28% year-over-year to 360,092 TEUs.

So far, the nation’s busiest seaport has processed more than 8.17 million TEUs this year, 26% higher compared to the same time period last year.

“Despite the global supply chain challenges, the Port of Los Angeles and its partners continue to deliver record amounts of cargo,” port Executive Director Gene Seroka said. “This is made possible by the extraordinary effort of our longshore workers, truck drivers, terminal operators and so many others on the waterfront and in our region’s warehouses.”

Seroka, in particular, noted the efforts of BNSF and Union Pacific, which worked to cut the rail backlog in half in the past month and by two-thirds in the last two months.

“We’ve got more work to do but we’ve made significant progress due to the collaborative efforts with our Class I railroads,” he remarked.

 

By Karen Robes Meeks