Let’s examine the cargo situation at major U.S. West Coast ports in July.

The Port of Los Angeles (LA) and the Port of Long Beach (LB), the two major U.S. West Coast ports, have released their monthly data for this year. Both ports reported their busiest July on record.

Port of Los Angeles

July throughput reached a record 939,600 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), a 37 percent increase over the previous year. It was the best July record in the port’s 116-year history and the busiest month in more than two years. 

The Port of Los Angeles executive director said in a media briefing that year-end holiday cargo was transported to the terminals earlier than usual to avoid the risk of delays. 

Much of that cargo was toys, electronics and apparel, but also included back-to-school, fall fashion and Halloween goods.

Port of Long Beach

Container volume spiked to a monthly record in July, as retailers shifted inventories significantly ahead of the peak shipping season. 

Total volume was 882,376 standard containers (TEUs), up 52.6 percent from the same month last year and 12.4 percent above the previous record set in July 2022. Imports jumped 60.5% to 435,081 TEUs.

Our recommendations

Recently, logistics issues at U.S. West Coast ports have once again become a significant hurdle for e-commerce sellers.

We’d like to remind sellers to pay close attention to their backend inventory distribution and warehouse operations.

Try to avoid exposure to warehouses with operational limitations. This precaution will help prevent delays in receiving and shipping goods, which could disrupt the rhythm of peak season stocking.