In July, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in the US both set new records for the busiest throughput in history. Importers rushed to ship goods ahead of time due to concerns over the upcoming tariff policy, which stands in stark contrast to the sharp decline expected in the second half of 2025.
In July this year, the Port of Los Angeles handled 1,019,837 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), setting a new record in the port’s 117-year history and representing an 8.5% year-on-year increase compared to July 2024. Of these, 543,728 TEUs were fully loaded with imported goods, marking the highest monthly import volume in the port’s history.
Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, California, said: “Shippers have been frontloading cargo for months to avoid tariffs, and recent activity at the nation’s largest port is a true reflection of this trend. The terminal was crowded with cargo ships in July.”
Similarly, the Port of Long Beach handled 944,232 TEUs in July, up 7% from the same period in 2024, making it the third busiest month in the port’s 114-year history. Imports at the Port of Long Beach increased by 7.6% to 468,081 TEUs, but exports decreased by 12.9% to 91,328 TEUs.
Marino Cordero, CEO of Port of Long Beach, attributed this growth to retailers concentrating on receiving goods purchased during the temporary tariff suspension earlier this year, but he also warned that challenges are on the horizon. “Due to ongoing uncertainty caused by changes in trade policy, our supply chain tools predict that freight volume will decline by about 10% in the second half of 2025, with throughput remaining largely flat for the year.”
Behind the record-breaking throughput lies a concerning outlook forecast. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF)’s Global Port Tracker Report, US ports are expected to see a significant decline in throughput for the remainder of 2025, with an 5% decrease in August compared to the same period in 2024, a 19.5% decline in September, an 18.9% drop in October, a 21.1% decrease in November, and a 19.3% decline in December.
“Tariffs are already starting to push up prices for consumer goods, and fewer imports will ultimately lead to fewer goods on store shelves. Small businesses are particularly struggling to stay afloat,” said Jonathan Gold, vice president of NRF.
Shipping analyst John McCown described this as “one of the most dramatic annual fluctuations in the six-decade history of US container shipping” and noted that although container throughput grew by 3.7% in the first half of 2025, the decline in the second half of the year is expected to lead to a 13.9% year-on-year decline in throughput for the rest of the year.
A report by the Baltic International Maritime Council (BIMCO) confirms that ports on the US West Coast initially benefited from an early rush of shipments at the beginning of the year, with throughput in the first four months of 2025 increasing by 14.4% year-on-year. However, this was followed by a 9.2% decline in May and June. BIMCO’s Chief Shipping Analyst Niels Rasmussen noted, “Since early June, the average spot freight rate from Shanghai to the US has dropped by over 60%, indicating that the weak import trend in the third quarter may persist through the remainder of the year.”
The record-high port throughput contrasts sharply with the pessimistic outlook forecast by the industry, highlighting the profound impact of trade policy shifts on global maritime trade and supply chains.