The introduction of tariffs on goods being imported from China, which were then provisionally halted by Trump on 12th May, had a negative impact on the main US container ports, Los Angeles in particular, which recorded a 4.8% drop in traffic volumes in May compared to the previous month.
This would be the lowest monthly figure for over two years.
“Unless long-term, comprehensive trade agreements are reached soon,” warned Los Angeles Port Authority Executive Director Gene Seroka, “we’ll likely see higher prices and less selection during the year-end holiday season. The uncertainty created by fast-changing tariff policies has caused hardships for consumers, businesses and labour.”
Last month the Californian port handled 717 thousand TEUs compared to 753 thousand TEUs in May 2024. Both the number of full containers coming into/leaving the port decreased, 356 thousand TEUs (-8.9%) and 121 thousand TEUs (-4.0%) respectively. The number of empty containers being handled totaled 240 thousand TEUs (+1.8%).
In the first five months of 2025, global traffic amounted to 4.06 million TEUS, an increase of +4.1% compared to the same period last year, The number of full containers coming in totaled 2.08 million TEUs (+2.0%). The number of full containers going out totaled 595 thousand TEUs (-10.3%). Empty boxes totaled 1.39 million TEUs (+15.7%).
Translation by Giles Foster
