Port of LA posts strong April, warns tariffs will slow trade

The Port of Los Angeles handled 842,806 twenty-foot equivalent units in April 2025, up 9.4% from a year earlier, the port said on May 19, 2025.

Through the first four months of the year, the port processed 3,346,853 TEUs, 6.2% more than in the same period of 2024. The port said it had recorded year-over-year growth in 19 of the previous 21 months.

Front-loading

"We've had nearly two years of robust volume, including 10 straight months of year-over-year growth," Gene Seroka, the port's executive director, told more than 90 journalists at a media briefing.

Seroka said a strong economy and high consumer confidence drove that growth early on, while more recently it had been the push by importers to bring cargo in ahead of tariffs.

Breakdown

Loaded imports in April were 439,230 TEUs, up 5% from a year earlier. Loaded exports were 128,394 TEUs, down 3%.

The port processed 275,183 empty container units, 25% more than a year earlier.

Outlook

"Moving forward – at least for the short term – we will see a softening of global trade during this period of elevated tariffs and uncertainty," Seroka said.

He said the port would use its financial base to invest in infrastructure, technology and workforce development as cargo eased, with a focus on $230 million in capital projects in the coming fiscal year.

"We're focused on $230 million in capital projects in the upcoming fiscal year so that we're ready to go when volume comes back strong," Seroka said.

What it meant for carriers

Seroka tied the recent growth to importers pulling cargo forward ahead of tariffs, and said he expected global trade to soften in the short term.

The port noted that empty container moves rose much faster than loaded imports in April, at 25% versus 5%.