The Port of Los Angeles is on track to process more than 10 million container units this year and is expecting a record-breaking December.

The port in San Pedro handled more than 880,000 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) in November, up 16% from the same period last year, Executive Director Gene Seroka said. This year, the port has moved more than 9.3 million TEUs.

"We're tracking 19% ahead of 2023 and 7% above that all important five year average," Seroka said at a media briefing this week. "That puts us well on pace to exceed 10 million TEUs for only the second time in our 117-year history."

The port processed more than 10.6 million container units in 2021, but that number fell to about 9.9 million in 2022 and 8.6 million in 2023. If December numbers meet expectations, the port could move more than 10.2 million units in 2024.

"All indications suggest that we're heading into our best December on record," Seroka said. "Traditionally it's a softer month for volume, but this December we'll likely surpass 900,000 TEUs."

The Port of Los Angeles has been one of the busiest and highest ranked ports in the country for more than two decades, but recent geopolitical forces have brought even more activity to the West Coast.

"A few issues have led to increased cargo movement through Los Angeles," Seroka said, including "the unresolved labor contract negotiations on the East and Gulf coasts, as well as frontloading of cargo as a hedge against potential tariffs."

Thousands of dockworkers from Maine to Texas launched a strike in October over wages and the use of automation, shutting down seaports along the East Coast and disrupting normal trade. The union representing the dockworkers suspended the strike three days later but is prepared to resume striking Jan. 15 when its contract expires. The strike did not affect workers on the West Coast who are represented by a different union.

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have seen increased activity as shipments are diverted away from the East Coast amid the unresolved labor negotiations. The Port of Los Angeles spent months preparing for the possibility of a dockworkers strike on the East Coast, Seroka told The Times in October.

The recent election has also had an effect on trade volume in Los Angeles as the country braces for potential heavy tariffs under President-elect Donald Trump. Trump has proposed tariffs on trade with Mexico, Canada and China, the United States' top three trading partners.

Fearing the effect of these tariffs on trade, many merchants are sending large shipments before they take effect, Seroka said.

In November, the Port of Los Angeles processed 458,165 loaded imports, 124,117 loaded exports and 302,033 empty containers.

©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.