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Port Activity Slows Further in December
Strong Start to 2025 Didn't Hold Up as Year Progressed
U.S. port activity experienced a December slowdown, closing out what began as an especially busy year.
The Port of Los Angeles processed 791,588 20-foot equivalent units, a 14% decline from 921,617 in 2024. The port had a strong year with momentum only waning toward the end. The latest volume brought the port to its third-best year on record, having slipped only 0.6% to 10.2 million containers from 10.3 million in 2024.
“Every record set and every bar raised is a direct result of the dedication and commitment of the people who make this port work,” Executive Director Gene Seroka said during his state of the port address. “Cargo remains the lifeblood of the U.S. economy. American farmers, manufacturers, retailers and consumers all depend on how well we move that cargo.”
Port of Long Beach
Container volumes for the month decreased 3.1% year over year to 834,119 containers from 861,006. This brought the total for the year up 2.4% to a record 9.88 million cargo containers, from the previous all-time high of 9.6 million in 2024.
“This public jewel, entrusted to us on behalf of the people of this great state, comes with great obligations, to be responsible as stewards of the land, water and air,” said Long Beach Harbor Commission President Frank Colonna. “We hold ourselves to the highest standards of customer service, ensuring our clients, tenants and all port users can move their goods efficiently.”
Goods movement is the economy in motion. With 1,300 people in attendance at #SOTP2026, the message was clear: even amid historic uncertainty, cargo kept coming—and we kept it moving. Once again, the Port of Long Beach proved to be the heartbeat of the U.S. economy. #SOTP2026 pic.twitter.com/48LWjOUvdv — Port of Long Beach (@portoflongbeach) February 2, 2026
TD Cowen noted in a report that Los Angeles and Long Beach saw volumes decline 9% in December. The investment banking company found that imports have been falling since they peaked in July when shippers were still racing to move cargo ahead of tariffs. The report highlighted how both ports account for about 40% of imports.
“As we move through earnings, commentary from carriers on peak season was relatively robust, with stable seasonality,” Cowen analyst Jason Seidl wrote. “Carriers believe that retailers have largely worked through their inventory levels and will need to restock, though January trends were uninspiring, which may be partially due to harsh weather to begin the year. [U.S. Supreme Court] hearing on tariffs remains an overhang for shippers.”
Port of Oakland
Container volume slipped 1.7% year over year to 179,580 from 182,646. The port reported closing the year with stable overall cargo volumes despite uneven global trade conditions. The total was essentially flat compared with the prior year, having declined by only 0.4% to 2.25 million TEUs.
The @PortofOakland handled 179,580 twenty-foot containers (TEUs) in December 2025, a slight 1.7% decrease from year-over-year totals, as the Port closed out the calendar year with stable overall cargo volumes despite uneven global trade conditions.
Full containerized cargo… pic.twitter.com/vkDlQMBy07 — Port of Oakland (@PortofOakland) January 14, 2026
“December reflected the kind of uneven performance we’ve seen across the industry, with softer imports and strong export activity,” said Port of Oakland Maritime Director Bryan Brandes. “That difference is more about timing and adjustment than any fundamental change in demand.”
Northwest Seaport Alliance
Combined volumes between the ports of Seattle and Tacoma, Wash., decreased 21.9% to 237,922 containers from 304,748. The alliance noted that tariffs and elevated retail inventories weighed on full-year volume. 2025 results were down 5.5% at 3.16 million containers from 3.34 million the year before.
Georgia Ports Authority
Container volumes decreased 0.6% year over year to 439,630 from 442,141. This brought the port to its second-busiest year on record, with total volume increasing 2.6% to 5.7 million TEUs from 5.55 million.
The Port of Savannah achieved its second-busiest year ever in 2025, handling nearly 5.7 million TEUs.
Record rail performance continues to drive growth to inland markets.
Discover more: https://t.co/qIpsAuSOvz#GAPorts #GlobalGateway #SupplyChain #Logistics — Georgia Ports (@GaPorts) January 27, 2026
“I would like to thank our customers, GPA team, Gateway Terminals, ILA, and our trucking and rail partners that all play a central role in making the Savannah experience successful every day,” said GPA President Griff Lynch. “We are well-positioned to help our customers navigate the challenging market conditions ahead.”
South Carolina Ports Authority
December volume decreased 1.7% to 194,610 containers from 198,018 in 2024, but increased 4% to 2.6 million from 2.5 million for the year. Inland Port Dillon marked its busiest calendar year on record at 48,761 rail containers in 2025. This was driven by retail growth and a successful soybean season for regional farmers.
Retail growth and a successful soybean season for regional farmers boosted Inland Port Dillon to a record calendar year for 2025. The inland Port handled 48,761 rail containers in 2025, a 33% increase from the prior year. More here: https://t.co/2LJbRXx9iq
Photo: Walter… pic.twitter.com/q9kdkkILbr — South Carolina Ports (@SCPorts) January 20, 2026
“Thank you to our SC Ports team and all our maritime and logistics partners for delivering top-notch port service to our customers in 2025,” said SC Ports President Micah Mallace. “We enter 2026 energized and well-positioned to continue serving our customers with productive port operations in the booming Southeast market.”
Others
Port Houston, as well as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, did not have their monthly numbers available at press time.
Descartes Systems Group found in its latest global shipping report that December container import volumes increased 2% sequentially to 2.23 million in total for the U.S. The report noted that this reflected typical seasonal stabilization following the sharper slowdown in November, but it also found that total import volumes for the year were 0.4% below 2024.
