Top West Coast port sees second-best July on record
The Port of Long Beach posted its second-busiest July as imports staged a surprising surge. The post Top West Coast port sees second-best July on record appeared first on FreightWaves .
The Port of Long Beach reported its second highest July in history and the fourth busiest month in its 115-year existence. In July, the port handled 928,508 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), a 1.7% decrease from July 2025. Import volumes remained steady, falling just 0.1% to 467,461 TEUs, while exports surged 14.8% to 104,843 TEUs.
The number of empty containers decreased by 7.4% to 356,205 TEUs. The SONAR Ocean Booking Index for China-Long Beach containers is higher compared to a year ago. Experts attribute this increase to surprising consumer resilience despite inflation and rising prices, and indicate the start of an extended peak season that is now projected to continue into September.
The National Retail Federation has revised its summer import forecast to anticipate steady, elevated gains. Maersk has also raised its full-year guidance for the second time. So far this year, Long Beach has processed 5,758,086 TEUs in the first seven months of 2026, marking a 1.2% year-over-year increase.
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