Port of Long Beach Cargo Rises 10.6% in Strong June
16.07.2026
Port of Long Beach cargo rose 10.6% year over year in June, lifting first-half throughput above the record-setting pace established during 2025 at California’s major trade gateway.
Port of Long Beach cargo reaches third-busiest June
The Port of Long Beach reported that dockworkers and terminal operators handled 779,331 twenty-foot equivalent units in June, making it the third-busiest June in the port’s history. Imports increased 11% to 387,025 TEUs, while exports declined 1.3% to 86,446 TEUs. Empty-container movements rose 14.1% to 305,860 TEUs.
During the first six months of 2026, throughput reached 4,829,578 TEUs, an increase of 1.7% from the same period in 2025. Last year was the port’s busiest full year on record.
Port of Long Beach CEO Noel Hacegaba said the results reflected confidence among cargo owners and supply-chain partners, along with continuing demand for goods moving through the Southern California gateway.
“Businesses across the shipping and logistics industry continue planning for a range of scenarios as they work to build more resilient and diversified supply chains.”
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Tariff uncertainty brings the peak season forward
Hacegaba said shippers were moving cargo earlier as temporary 10% import tariffs approached their scheduled July 24 expiration and businesses prepared for possible changes in US trade policy.
The pattern is consistent with the National Retail Federation’s July outlook, which forecast record import volumes at major US container ports as retailers stocked goods before potentially higher tariffs in August. The organisation said the traditional peak season has shifted earlier because of trade uncertainty and other supply-chain risks.
“Businesses are preparing for volatility, not certainty,” Hacegaba said, adding that retailers were restocking shelves while trying to limit price increases.
Rail connections support inland cargo flows
Pacific Harbor Line provides rail transportation, maintenance and dispatching across the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. The neutral short-line operator serves nine on-dock intermodal terminals and connects the port complex with BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad.
Its network includes 19 route miles and 96 track miles, providing the first- and last-mile rail link between marine terminals and the national freight network.
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