The Port of Long Beach reported record cargo numbers for the month of September, making it the port’s busiest month in its history.
The port, founded in 1911, moved 997,177 20-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) in September 2026. The port’s previous busiest month was October 2024, when 987,191 TEUs moved through the complex, port officials reported this week.
The pattern was also seen in the neighboring Port of Los Angeles, which logged its busiest month in its history during September. That port was founded in 1907.
The Port of L.A. handled 1,042,652 containers last month.
The Port of Long Beach also saw an all-time record month in August, moving 919,992 container units for that month.
Port CEO Noel Hacegaba said on Sept. 16 that he anticipated a strong end of the year that could have an even a longer “peak season” than originally expected.
If August and September’s huge numbers are any indication, Hacegaba’s look at the future could be coming true.
“Not only did that break the August record from 2024,” Hacegaba said, “but it also ranked as the fifth-busiest month in the port’s 115-year history.”
Year to date as of August, he said, dockworkers had moved 6.7 million containers during the first eight months of 2026, a 1.5% year-over-year increase compared to the same period in 2025, “which was a record year.”
The September 2026 numbers in Long Beach were 25% more than September 2025.
A breakdown of the Port of Long Beach numbers:
- Imports rose 31.3% to 509,390 TEUs
- Exports were up 7.8% to 91,747 TEUs
- Empty containers rose 22.1% to 396,040 TEUs
Year to date, the port of Long Beach has moved 7,675,255 TEUs through the first nine months of 2026, up 3.9% compared to the same period last year.
Last year, the port also rolled out its mission to double cargo to 20 million 20-foot equivalent units annually by 2050 while at the same time becoming a 100% zero-emissions seaport.
Hacegaba highlighted those plans at his January State of the Port address following the port’s record-setting 2025 with 9.9 million cargo containers moved with no backlogs or delays.
“We have 24 years to prepare to double our container throughput and figure out how we’re going to handle all that additional cargo quickly, safely, efficiently and sustainably,” Hacegaba told 1,300 industry partners, community members and civic and labor leaders gathered at the Long Beach Arena for this year’s State of the Port address.
“We have set our sights on 2050 because thinking big and planning ahead are critical to our collective success,” he said. “Speed to market is the key to our success and rail connectivity is the key to our future.”