The Port of Los Angeles (Port of KA) handled a near-record 960,597 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) in August, a 16% increase over the previous year.

The port said this was driven by an early wave of holiday imports and restocking inventories beyond.

August's volume was also slightly higher month-on-month compared to the "record-breaking" 939,600 TEUs that the port handled in July, which was a 37% increase over the previous year.

"It was the busiest non-pandemic month ever at the Port," Port of LA said of its performance in August.

Eight months into 2024, the port is 17% ahead of its 2023 pace, already moving nearly 1 million more containers than last year.

"The American consumer continues to spend, and that's helping to power our economy," said Gene Seroka, executive director at the Port of LA.

"Some of the cargo arriving now is replenishing inventories even beyond the year-end holiday season. Combined with a steady flow of manufacturing parts and components, we should continue to see elevated volume in the near term," he added.

Seroka noted that it's been a "very busy summer" at the Port of LA—the busiest in the Northern Hemisphere—and thanked dockworkers and terminal operators for handling the elevated volume safely and efficiently.

 [Source: Port of Los Angeles]

August 2024 loaded imports landed at 509,363 TEUs, an 18% increase compared to the previous year.

Loaded exports came in at 121,744 TEUs, a slight drop of 3% compared to 2023.

Meanwhile, Port of LA processed 329,491 empty containers, a 22% jump compared to 2023.

Overall, the Port moved 6,631,688 TEUs in the first eight months of 2024, a 17% increase over the same period in 2023.