Long Beach Heads for First 10m TEU Year After Record September
Port of Long Beach moved 997,177 TEU in September, its busiest month, and expects a record year. Bridge closure and labor talks affect truckers.
The Port of Long Beach expects to handle more than 10 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units, the standard measure of container volume) this year, which would be the first time it has reached that mark. CEO Noel Hacegaba told The Loadstar at the World Ports Conference in London this week that “it’s been a peak year.”
For truckers serving the port, the surge arrives alongside a 16-month closure of the Vincent Thomas Bridge, due to begin Nov. 7, and an unresolved labor negotiation involving port watchmen.
Record September, volumes up 3.9%
September throughput hit 997,177 TEU, the port’s busiest month ever. It passed the previous record set in October 2024. In the first nine months of the year, Long Beach moved just under 7.8 million TEU, up 3.9% from the same period last year, according to The Loadstar.
What is driving the volume
Hacegaba pointed to several causes behind the strong transpacific growth:
- Shippers front-loading imports to avoid threatened USTR 301 port fees on Chinese-owned and Chinese-operated vessels.
- Concerns about the viability of the Panama Canal as El Nino emerged, which he said has diverted cargo to the US West Coast.
- Higher fuel costs charged by shipping lines.
The recent decision to postpone the port fees has “moved the goalposts,” Hacegaba said, and he expects another round of front-loading before a new Jan. 9 deadline.
The surge led MSC to put some of its largest ships, with 24,000 TEU capacity, on its standalone Sentosa transpacific service. The service calls at Long Beach’s Total Terminal International (TTI). Xeneta’s eeSea liner database lists the usual average vessel on the string at 18,500 TEU and the largest at 19,500 TEU. During August, September and October, MSC deployed two 24,000 TEU ships, MSC Nela and MSC Arina. Hacegaba said the port handled them with 100% discharging and 100% loading. He also said 50% of TTI’s inbound boxes leave the port by train.
Bridge closure and gate hours
The Vincent Thomas Bridge in the San Pedro area closes Nov. 7 for refurbishment and is forecast to disrupt cargo moving to and from the port. The port and its terminal operators are offering truckers additional gate hours on Friday evenings and Saturdays for six weeks. Hacegaba described this as a pilot program that could be extended.
Why it matters for drivers and carriers
Record volumes mean more containers to move out of the port, while the bridge closure changes routes for the area’s drayage and hinterland trucking. The extra Friday evening and Saturday gate hours give truckers more windows to pick up and drop off cargo during the first six weeks.
Hacegaba said another wave of front-loading is expected before Jan. 9, which would add to volumes during the closure period.
Labor talks at Long Beach and Los Angeles
Hacegaba said the port is closely monitoring negotiations between ILWU Local 26 and the Pacific Maritime Association, and remains hopeful the two sides will reach an agreement soon. He said the affected watchmen provide security inside individual terminals, while port-wide security from the Harbor Patrol and the Long Beach Police Department continues during the talks. The port is not a party to the negotiations, he said, and remains committed to moving cargo safely and reliably.
What to watch
Key dates are Nov. 7, when the bridge closure begins, the end of the six-week extended gate-hour pilot, and the Jan. 9 deadline tied to the postponed port fees. No date has been given for a deal in the ILWU Local 26 talks.
Source: The Loadstar
