The Port of Los Angeles processed 1,012,048 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) in May, a leap of 74% compared to last year. It was the busiest month ever in the Port’s 114-year history, the 10th consecutive month of year-over-year increases and the first time a Western Hemisphere port has handled more than 1 million TEUs in a month.

“The historic level of cargo that we’re managing reflects our commitment to reach new heights by working with our partners to further enhance our productivity, throughput and velocity,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka. “Much credit goes to our longshore workforce, truckers, terminal operators, ocean carriers, railroads and other stakeholders for scaling up to meet this extraordinary demand.”

Last week, the Port of Los Angeles set another Western Hemisphere record, processing more than 10 million TEUs in a 12-month period that will end June 30th.

May 2021 loaded imports reached 535,714 TEUs compared to the previous year, an increase of 75%. It was the most imports ever in one month at the Port, eclipsing the previous record of 516,286 set in August of 2020.

Loaded exports increased 5.3% to 109,886 TEUs compared to the same period last year. Empty containers climbed to 366,448 TEUs, a jump of 114% compared to last year due to the heavy demand in Asia. It was the most empties ever processed in a month at the Port.

Five months into the year, overall cargo volume is 4,551,445 TEUs, an increase of 48.2% compared to 2020.

North America’s leading seaport by container volume and cargo value, the Port of Los Angeles facilitated $259 billion in trade during 2020. San Pedro Bay port complex operations and commerce facilitate one in nine jobs across the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura. The Port of Los Angeles has remained open with all terminals operational throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.