Long Beach leads cargo volume

The Port of Long Beach handled more cargo than any seaport in North America in March and through the first quarter of 2026. (polb.com) Long Beach moved 774,935 twenty-foot equivalent units in March, down 5.2% from March 2025. Imports fell 1.6% to 374,412 units, exports rose 0.5% to 104,554, and empty containers dropped 11.1% to 295,970. (polb.com) For January through March, Long Beach processed 2,390,225 twenty-foot equivalent units, 5.7% below its record first quarter in 2025. The nearby Port of Los Angeles handled 752,520 units in March and 2,388,843 in the first quarter, leaving Long Beach ahead by 1,382 units for the quarter. (polb.com) (portoflosangeles.org) The two ports anchor the San Pedro Bay complex, the main container gateway for imports moving into Southern California warehouses and inland distribution hubs. Long Beach’s lead came even as both ports compared against unusually strong 2025 volumes tied to earlier tariff-driven front-loading. (polb.com) (portoflosangeles.org) Warehouse demand around the Los Angeles Basin has softened, but it has not collapsed. Cushman & Wakefield reported a 4.6% industrial vacancy rate in Los Angeles in the first quarter, with negative net absorption of 2.2 million square feet and trade, transportation and utilities employment down 4,800 jobs from a year earlier. (assets.cushmanwakefield.com) Colliers reported the broader Greater Los Angeles industrial market posted negative net absorption of 2.4 million square feet in the first quarter, while Los Angeles County still recorded positive demand of 1.1 million square feet. The firm said vacancy across the region rose to 5.9% and asking rents fell for an eleventh straight quarter. (colliers.com) CBRE described the Los Angeles industrial market as still in a correction cycle in the first quarter, with early signs of stabilization. That lines up with the port data: cargo is still moving at a high level, but not at the record pace set a year ago. (cbre.com) (polb.com) Port executives are also pointing to risks outside California. Long Beach Chief Executive Officer Noel Hacegaba said April 15 that tariffs, fuel costs and shipping disruptions tied to the Middle East were adding uncertainty, while Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said unsettled tariff policy and inflation were weighing on consumers and companies. (polb.com) (portoflosangeles.org) For now, the headline is simpler than the backdrop: Long Beach is moving the most boxes on the continent, and the Los Angeles Basin is still absorbing them even in a slower warehouse market. (polb.com) (colliers.com)