October lifted by holiday season, ongoing efforts to recapture market share

Cargo moving through the Port of Long Beach in October rose for a second consecutive month amid preparations for the upcoming holiday shopping season and ongoing efforts to recapture market share.

Dockworkers and terminal operators moved 755,150 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) last month, up 14.7% from October 2022. Imports increased 23.6% to 363,300 TEUs and exports decreased 24.8% to 90,073 TEUs. Empty containers moved through the Port grew 23.3% to 301,777 TEUs.

“Cargo is rebounding and we are continuing to collaborate with our industry partners to recapture market share and invest in infrastructure that will position us for future growth,” said Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero. “We are anticipating moderate growth through the rest of the year as retailers continue to stock shelves for the winter holidays.”

“We appreciate the hard work of our terminal operators, truckers, dockworkers and all of our supply chain partners who keep the goods moving through our Port and delivered to our communities, region, state and nation,” said Long Beach Harbor Commission President Bobby Olvera Jr. “As we are closing out 2023, we are excited for 2024 and continuing to deliver top-notch customer service while being sustainable and a good community partner.”

The Port has moved 6,577,815 TEUs during the first 10 months of 2023, down 17.8% from the same period last year. Cargo flows this year have been on pace with pre-pandemic levels, when the Port of Long Beach moved more than 6.36 million TEUs through October 2019.

For complete cargo numbers, visit polb.com/statistics.