Port of Los Angeles Breaks Record for Shipping Export Containers

In 2011, The Port of Los Angeles exported a record-breaking 2.1 million cargo containers containing U.S. goods for overseas consumers, making it the first port in the nation to ship more than 2 million containers.

Moving 176,531 export containers in December alone helped the Los Angeles port in breaking their previous 2010 record of 1.84 million export containers. They also handled 7.94 million import and export containers in 2011, .11 more than the prior year. Combined with its neighbor, Port of Long Beach, the harbors moved a total of about 14 million containers annually.

L.A. Port officials state that they will not rest on being the nation’s premier seaport, but are planning on investing $1.5 billion in capital improvements over the next five years. They also believe that their impressive export numbers show the preparedness towards global trade pattern changes.