{"id":102588,"date":"2026-02-25T20:43:43","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T23:43:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shipping.einnews.com\/article\/895591229"},"modified":"2026-02-25T20:43:43","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T23:43:43","slug":"port-of-long-beach-cargo-numbers-attain-bragging-rights-for-january","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/02\/25\/port-of-long-beach-cargo-numbers-attain-bragging-rights-for-january\/","title":{"rendered":"Port of Long Beach cargo numbers attain bragging rights for January"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Amid ongoing uncertainty over tariffs, the Port of Long Beach surged through January, topping cargo numbers reported earlier by the Port of Los Angeles to claim status as \u201cthe busiest port in the nation,\u201d Port of Long Beach CEO Noel Hacegaba said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Total containers moved in January at Long Beach were 847,765. It marked the port\u2019s second-busiest January on record.<\/p>\n

The Port of L.A. previously announced January container numbers there at 812,000<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Both ports, however, also saw year-over-year drops in January \u2014 a 12% dip from January 2025 in L.A. and an 11% drop in Long Beach \u2014 as the unpredictability of tariffs continues to roil the industry waters.<\/p>\n

Cargo volume in the Port of L.A. topped 10.2 million container units in 2025<\/a>, making it the third busiest year in the port\u2019s 118-year history.<\/p>\n

In the Port of Long Beach, the overall 2025 number broke that port\u2019s record by handling 9.9 million twenty-foot equivalent units. And Long Beach also set a record for container volumes in 2025, becoming the \u201cbusiest port in the nation\u201d in the first four months of that year, Hacegaba previously said<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Hacegaba reported Long Beach\u2019s numbers for last month in a virtual news briefing on Wednesday, boasting that Port of Long Beach started 2026 \u201cleading the nation as the busiest port in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe led the nation and moved 51% of cargo processed at the San Pedro Bay complex last month,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In January, Port of Long Beach dockworkers and terminal operators moved 847,765TEUs of cargo containers, down 11% from the same month in 2025, which remains the port\u2019s best January and second-busiest month overall in its 115-year history. Imports were down 13.1% to 409,818 TEUs, and exports rose 0.8% to 99,478 TEUs. Empty containers moving through the port declined 11.5% to 338,470 TEUs.<\/p>\n

But a slowdown could be looming.<\/p>\n

Port of L.A. Executive Director Gene Seroka said recently that a cargo flattening<\/a> is anticipated for the first six months of 2026, citing tariffs and other economic uncertainties. Earlier this month, the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates also projected that import volume at the nation\u2019s major container ports was expected to see \u201ca significant year-over-year decline during the first half of 2026,\u201d citing the impact of tariffs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are leading the nation in trade, and providing a safe harbor in the sea of tariff and trade uncertainty for our customers and the goods movement industry,\u201d Hacegaba said Wednesday during the first of his monthly Supply Chain Insight virtual media briefings. \u201cNo matter what happens with cargo volume, the Port of Long Beach has the capacity, infrastructure and workforce to move goods quickly, efficiently and reliably.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hacegaba\u2019s stress on Long Beach\u2019s push under the moniker as the \u201cPort of Choice,\u201d meanwhile, also appears to be signaling a resurgence of what has long been a competitive stance with its larger neighboring port, even as the two continue to join forces on efforts to cut pollution.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we navigate all of these changes,\u201d Hacegaba said, the port \u201cwill continue to be a safe harbor\u201d for its shipping industry customers.<\/p>\n

While Hacegaba said he\u2019s upbeat about the future and has a positive outlook for the year ahead, there are challenges.<\/p>\n