Long Beach: busiest port

The Port of Long Beach handled more container cargo than any seaport in North America in March and across the first quarter of 2026. (polb.com) Long Beach moved 774,935 twenty-foot equivalent units in March, down 5.2% from the record-heavy March 2025. Imports slipped 1.6% to 374,412 units, exports rose 0.5% to 104,554, and empty containers fell 11.1% to 295,970. (polb.com) For January through March, Long Beach processed 2,390,225 twenty-foot equivalent units. The Port of Los Angeles, its closest rival in San Pedro Bay, handled 752,520 units in March and 2,388,843 in the quarter. (polb.com) (portoflosangeles.org) A twenty-foot equivalent unit, or TEU, is the shipping industry’s standard box-counting measure. Ports use it to compare cargo volumes across containers of different sizes, from 20-foot boxes to units longer than 50 feet. (polb.com) The ranking keeps Southern California at the center of the U.S. import trade even after the pandemic-era supply chain crunch eased. Long Beach says it handles more than 9 million TEUs a year, with loaded containers equal to nearly 1 in 5 moving through all U.S. ports. (polb.com) The port’s trade footprint reaches well beyond the docks. Long Beach says port-related trade supports 543,000 jobs in Los Angeles and Orange counties, 691,000 jobs across Southern California, and 2.7 million jobs nationwide. (polb.com) Long Beach’s March total still came in below last year’s pace because 2025 was unusually strong. Port Chief Executive Noel Hacegaba said this year’s comparisons were shaped by tariffs, timing and the high baseline created when shippers moved cargo early in 2025. (polb.com) Los Angeles reported a similar pattern. Executive Director Gene Seroka said March cargo was steady, but tariff uncertainty, inflation and higher fuel costs tied to conflict in the Middle East were weighing on consumers and companies. (portoflosangeles.org) Long Beach’s own trade mix shows why the port remains a key gateway for retailers and manufacturers. More than 90% of its shipments are tied to East Asian trade, and its top containerized imports include furniture, appliances, electronics, plastics and clothing. (polb.com) The quarter’s lead over Los Angeles was narrow, about 1,382 TEUs, but it was enough to put Long Beach on top through March. In a port business measured box by box, that margin still marks Long Beach as the busiest gateway in North America at the end of the first quarter. (polb.com) (portoflosangeles.org)