he Port of Los Angeles handled 946,966 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) in April, a spike of 37% compared to last year. It was the best April in the Port’s 114-year history, and the ninth consecutive month of year-over-year increases.

Four months into the year, overall cargo volume has increased 42% compared to 2020.

Since January, the Port of Los Angeles has processed 3,539,397 TEUs.

“We have set records six of the last nine months, and the other three months were very close to new milestones,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka. “It’s truly been an unprecedented run here in Los Angeles. I’m grateful to our dedicated labor force and waterfront partners who work so hard to keep improving our services.”

Seroka said that key data points continue to trend in the right direction.

“Fewer ships are going straight to anchor, and of those that do, the wait time is decreasing as our labor force and supply chain partners adeptly handle the steady stream of cargo on our docks,” Seroka added. “This volume surge has resulted in additional work opportunities for dockworkers, truckers, warehouse employees and others.”

April 2021 loaded imports reached 490,127 TEUs compared to the previous year, an increase of 32%. Loaded exports declined 12% to 114,449 TEUs, marking the 27th decline over the last 30 months. Empty containers reached 342,391 TEUs, a jump of 82% compared to last year due to the heavy demand in Asia.

A total of 89 cargo vessels arrived in April, including 2 extra loaders.