Los Angeles and Long Beach Set September Cargo Records

· Shipping · United States · Netherlands

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach both set all-time monthly cargo records in September, handling a combined 2.04 million twenty-foot equivalent units as strong imports and shifting trade patterns lifted volumes. The surge contrasts with Rotterdam, where nine-month volume was flat as carriers shifted transshipment calls; the Dutch port said the drop in transit cargo was a deliberate trade-off to free space for inland freight, which has grown sharply this year. Together the figures show import strength into the US West Coast alongside a reorganisation of European hub-and-feeder flows.

Why it matters：Record US West Coast imports and Rotterdam's hub reshuffle show how trade flows and carrier networks are being redrawn, with consequences for port capacity planning and inland logistics.

Key points

  • LA and Long Beach handled 2.04 million TEUs combined in September
  • Both ports set all-time monthly records
  • Rotterdam kept nine-month volume flat as transshipment calls shifted

Sources (original reporting)

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