Port of Los Angeles reported cargo volumes eased again in September amid high levels of retail and other inventory already on shelves and in warehouses.

The Port handled 709,873 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) in September 2022, a 21.5% decrease from September 2021, which was the Port's busiest September on record.

Closing out the third quarter, the Port of Los Angeles has processed 7,864,514 TEUs during the first nine months of 2022, about 4% down from last year's record pace.

"Despite what will likely be a soft ending to 2022, we are on track to have the second-best year in our history," said Gene Seroka, Port of Los Angeles executive director.

"More importantly, the cargo backlog that began last year has been nearly eliminated due to the diligent, combined efforts of our supply chain partners," he added.

Seroka was joined during the press briefing by Jay Timmons, president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers. Timmons discussed the critical role the Port plays in delivering parts and components to factories throughout America.

For September, Port of LA noted that loaded imports reached 343,462 TEUs, down 27% compared to the previous year.

Loaded exports came in at 77,680 TEUs, up 3% compared to last September and empty containers landed at 288,731 TEUs, a 20% decline compared to last year.

Port of LA is the busiest seaport in the Western Hemisphere. In 2021, the Port facilitated US$294 billion in trade and handled a total of 10.7 million container units, the busiest calendar year in the Port’s 115-year history.