The Port of Long Beach is projected to approach or exceed last year’s record 9.6 million TEUs amid rising tariff uncertainty, with 8.2 million TEUs handled through October — a 4.1% increase year-on-year. The port credits this surge to “front-loading” by shippers, which has been response to tariff changes, creating artificial peaks in cargo volume.

However, a decline is expected near the end of this year, and into early 2026, as inventories are already well-stocked and holiday imports were brought forward.