Inbound shipments to the Port of Los Angeles — the busiest container hub in the US — dropped as much as 30% in early May as President Donald Trump’s tariffs discourage trade.
“Fewer containers mean less work on the waterfront, from the number of labor gangs that are out there responding to the shift requirements of cargo, to the truckers and warehouse workers,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said on a call with reporters Monday. “The impact was felt almost immediately during that first week of May.”
The drop in port activity came as importers and retailers — especially those with business in China — grappled with Trump’s tariffs announced in early April.
Before then, importers rushed to bring goods into the US to get ahead of the levies. Last month, the Port of LA handled roughly 843,000 twenty-foot equivalent units, or TEUs, which marked an increase of 9.4% over April of last year, according to a statement from the port.
Seroka noted that exports declined for a fifth month in April as other countries responded with retaliatory tariffs, particularly for US agricultural and manufactured goods.
A temporary deal reached last week between the US and China to lower tariffs on each other for 90 days could help reverse some of the slump. The result may be an uptick in cargo volumes in June and July as importers move inventory that had been held in warehouses during the “sky high” tariff period, Seroka said.
Still, tariffs remain elevated and trade policy uncertain, so it will continue to be difficult to forecast cargo volumes, Seroka cautioned. So far this month, 17 out of 80 sailings have been canceled and another 10 cancellations next month are expected, he said.
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The Port of Long Beach, which shares the San Pedro Bay with the Port of LA, is also preparing for less cargo after seeing its busiest April on record. Dockworkers there moved 867,493 TEUs last month, up 15.6% from last year.
“After moving the most containerized cargo of any American port in the first quarter of 2025, we are now anticipating a more than 10% dropoff in imports in May — and the effects will be felt beyond the docks,” said Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero said in a statement last week.
The trade uncertainty and decline in export demand is already impacting the Port of Oakland, which handled 185,499 TEUs in April, marking a 14.7% decrease in overall cargo volume from March 2025, the port said Monday.
