Port of Los Angeles’ Seroka report 1 million TEUs in June up 12%

The Port of Los Angeles reported processing 1,002,734 TEUs (twenty-foot unit containers) in June, according to Gene Seroka, Executive Director, Port of Los Angeles, who said that June cargo was 12% higher than a year ago, driven by strong import demand.

Seroka spoke at the Port’s media briefing on July 15^th where he reported on container volumes entering and leaving the Port during the month of June:

Imports: “We handled 530,000 import units in June, an increase of about 13% compared with a year ago and 18% above our five-year average. In fact, this was our third highest import month on record.”

Exports: “Exports totaled 126,000 TEUs, essentially flat compared with last June, despite the strength we're seeing on the import side, American agricultural and business interests competing in overseas markets continue to face headwinds.’

Empties: “On the empty side, we handled approximately 345,000 containers, up 17% Year Over Year. That equipment is heading back across the Pacific … to support continued import demand.”

First six months of 2026: “At the halfway mark, we've moved 5.1 million TEUs, about 3% ahead of last year's pace and 4% above that all-important five-year average.”

Shippers Adjusting

Seroka said that the numbers only tell part of the story: “Importers aren't simply moving more cargo now, they're moving it differently. Many companies have stepped away from traditional seasonal shipping patterns, advancing cargo whenever they see an opening rather than waiting for perfect conditions. In other words, retailers are making strategic decisions about when and how much to ship, balancing ‘Back to School’ and holiday demand against tariffs, rising fuel costs and global uncertainty.”

Projections Are Difficult

Seroka indicated that making projections for the rest of the year would be difficult, saying, “It's worth keeping in mind also that we're comparing against an exceptionally strong second half of 2025. Last July we exceeded 1 million TEUs as well, and August approached 960,000 units. Those are challenging comparisons for any port. That said, the data we're seeing today suggests that the month of July should be another solid one with cargo volume remaining above 900,000 container units. Beyond that, the picture gets a little harder to read because businesses are adapting in real time and conditions keep changing.”

The reason for this is that “There are several factors at play here. Trade policy remains front and center, including what happens after next Friday, July 24, with the Section 122 tariffs. We'll also be staying on top of developments in the Middle East to understand their impact on transportation costs and broader economic indicators. Through all this, one constant stands out, the resilience of the American consumer. People are still shopping, businesses are still replenishing inventory, and cargo owners continue to find ways to move forward.”

Trump Administration May Be Preparing For Higher Tariffs

Seroka’s guest was Douglas Irwin, Professor of Economics at Dartmouth College and a leading expert on international tariffs and trade policy.

Irwin warned that the 2026 tariff situation could get worse once the Section 122 tariffs expire on July 24^th:

Firstly: “Those tariffs are going to be replaced by new tariffs under Section 301. And there's sort of two tranches. The first one is going to sort of replicate in some sense the 122 tariffs. They're going to be a flat tariff of 10 to 12.5%, ostensibly for other countries not complying with forced labor provisions and trade agreements. So that's going to sort of just continue on with the (Section) 122 regime… But there's some other looming tariffs on Section 301.”

Secondly: “The second thing that happens next week is that the de minimis provisions in the U.S. Tariff Code are going to be eliminated and small packages will have to go through this special tariff process. So, this may not affect you in Los Angeles with big containers coming in, but for a whole host of importers that bring in smaller valued items (and) are used to easy shipping of those by mail without much bureaucratic interference. That's going to change. And so, the small importers are really going to be affected by the new compliance requirements that the government's establishing.”

The third impact will be from new Section 301 tariffs: “The second round of (Section) 301 tariffs could replicate what we saw on Liberation Day (when the Trump administration announced major tariff increases in 2025). That is, under Section 301, the President has a lot of discretion in terms of what the tariff rates are by country and commodity. And so, what you could see is when those are announced, and we just don't know yet, those tariff rates could be much higher and there could be much greater variance across countries, really hitting certain countries hard and other countries less hard. So, with the Section 122 tariffs and then the new Section 301 tariffs under forced labor, those are pretty flat across different countries. So, you didn't really have to pick and choose where you're sourcing your supply from. You're going to pay the same tax. But with these new 301s, they could be very, very different across different countries.”