The Port of Los Angeles increased its share of West Coast laden imports by 2.8 percentage points in the second quarter of 2025, according to Sea-Intelligence, as overall volumes declined and neighboring ports saw sharper drops.

"The major U.S. West Coast gateways followed starkly different paths," said Alan Murphy, CEO of Sea-Intelligence. "The Port of Los Angeles gained a major 2.8 percentage points of West Coast market share, primarily at the expense of its neighbor, the Port of Long Beach."

The analysis noted that US West Coast ports experienced an "intense front-loading boom" in Q1, which then reversed sharply into a severe contraction in May and June. However, the downturn was not experienced uniformly, with the neighbouring ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach showing a clear divergence in port volumes.

 [Source: Sea-Intelligence]

The shift followed a volatile first half of the year. Long Beach led the Q1 import surge with a 45% year-over-year increase in January, but volumes contracted sharply by June. In contrast, Los Angeles bucked the negative trend entirely, posting a 9.7% year-over-year increase in laden inbound volumes in June, while other major West Coast ports recorded declines.

The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) of Seattle and Tacoma experienced the most extreme "whiplash" effect, dropping significantly from a +34.7% surge in January to a -27.3% contraction in June. 

Murphy noted that the Northwest Seaport Alliance—covering Seattle and Tacoma—experienced the steepest swing or "most extreme whiplash effect," dropping from a 34.7% increase in January to a 27.3% contraction in June.

Sea-Intelligence said this divergence in operational performance during the downturn directly translated into a strong market share shift between the two San Pedro Bay ports, with Los Angeles the only major West Coast port to gain ground in Q2.