The Port of Los Angeles achieved the highest monthly cargo volume in its 118-year history, processing a record-breaking 1,042,652 TEUs and capping off an unprecedented four-month run of elevated container throughput. Driven by a 19% surge in loaded imports alongside record-high empty container returns totaling 371,206 TEUs, the US West Coast’s primary trade gateway processed nearly 8.1 million TEUs over the first nine months of the year, a 3% increase compared to the same period in 2025. Executive Director Gene Seroka attributed the sustained rally to US retailers and importers accelerating peak-season inventory building and maintaining strategic sourcing flexibility amid broader global trade and tariff uncertainties. While port management projects steady operational momentum around 900,000 TEUs for the subsequent month, fluid landside terminal operations, agile drainage networks, and smooth rail connections continue to manage the heavy transpacific import volume without triggering severe vessel congestion or supply chain bottlenecks.