Shipping Boom Triggers Record-Breaking June at America’s Largest Port

The Port of Los Angeles, the busiest container seaport in the United States, announced on Wednesday that its June container throughput hit an all-time high.

 

The surge was driven by cargo owners—ranging from retailers to data center developers—scrambling to import goods ahead of rising bunker fuel costs and newly implemented U.S. import tariffs.

 

Gene Seroka, Executive Director of the Port of Los Angeles, reported that the Southern California gateway handled 1,002,734 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) last month, representing a 12% increase compared to June 2025.

 

This marks only the third time in the trade hub's 118-year history that monthly volume has crossed the 1-million-TEU threshold.

 

According to port data, June imports grew 13% year-over-year to 530,558 TEUs, while exports ticked up a marginal 0.2% to 126,365 TEUs.

 

Meanwhile, empty containers returned to Asia—a key leading indicator of future import demand—surged 17% to 345,000 TEUs.

 

Adjacent to Los Angeles, the Port of Long Beach reported on Tuesday that it processed 779,331 TEUs last month, marking its third-busiest June on record, propelled by an 11% spike in imports.

 

On a national level, U.S. containerized imports jumped 8.2% year-over-year in June, according to data from supply chain technology provider Descartes Systems Group.

 

Ongoing conflict involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran has severely disrupted shipping lanes across the Middle East and globally, sending marine fuel costs soaring.

 

This has stoked fears among retailers and manufacturers of potential shortages and prohibitive transit costs for key raw materials and factory goods.

 

"The way cargo is moving is shifting," Seroka noted. "Many retailers are making strategic decisions to bypass traditional seasonal shipping patterns, taking every opportunity to front-load shipments rather than waiting for the perfect window."

 

However, Seroka warned that fuel costs and tariff-related uncertainties are making volume projections for the second half of the year increasingly difficult to pin down.

 

"Data indicates that July volumes will remain strong, likely exceeding 900,000 TEUs," Seroka said.

 

"Beyond that, the shipping landscape is highly fluid. Retailers are adjusting strategies in real-time, and trade policies are constantly evolving. After July 24, tariffs levied under Section 122 will expire, but we expect Section 301 tariffs to take effect."

 

On June 2, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced plans to impose a 10% or 12.5% tariff on 60 economies under Section 301, citing a failure to ban imports produced by forced labor.

 

The USTR determined that these practices were unreasonable and burdened or restricted U.S. commerce under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, justifying retaliatory action.

 

The U.S. administration aims to have these new tariff measures ready to execute just as the temporary, blanket 10% global import tariffs expire on July 24.

 

This sudden front-loading of demand has sent ocean freight rates climbing. According to Drewry, the spot rate for a 40-foot container on the Shanghai-to-Los Angeles route surged to $6,482 last week, its highest level since 2024.

 

BIMCO, the world’s largest international shipping association, noted late last month that "uncertainty surrounding U.S. tariffs and marine fuel costs has triggered a pre-emptive pull-forward of cargo, particularly on U.S.-bound routes, driving freight rates substantially higher."