The Port of Los Angeles continued its strong growth momentum in February, building on a record start to the year.

The port handled 801,398 20-foot equivalent units, up 2.5 percent from the same month in 2024 and the second-busiest February in the port's history.

This impressive performance is part of a larger trend of year-over-year freight volume growth in 17 of the past 19 months.

In February, the number of imported containers reached 413,236 TEUs, a slight increase of 1% from a year earlier. But the number of export containers fell sharply by 18% to 109,156 TEUs. Empty container handling increased 16% to 279,006 TEUs.

Cumulative figures for the first two months of 2025 show throughput of 1,725,643 TEU, an increase of 5.4% over the same period in 2024.

Port of Los Angeles executive Director Gene Seroka said in a media release that while current trends are good, there are still potential challenges in the second half of the year. He noted that many retailers and manufacturers are importing goods earlier than usual to guard against potential tariffs. This strategy, combined with existing large inventories and uncertainty over tariffs, could lead to a drop in trade volumes of up to 10% in the second half of 2025.

"In Los Angeles, we will continue to look for new opportunities to bring more business through our gateway," Seroka said.