The Port of Los Angeles cut its volume forecast 7% to 9.3M TEUs for FY 2026/27, with China's share of its imports falling to about 40%. For transpacific importers, it's a signal to weigh East Coast, Gulf, and Mexico gateways against the West Coast.
The mix, not the count: The board approved the FY 2026/27 budget on June 11, citing “continued volatility in global trade and uncertainty about trade policy” behind the volume pullback.
China’s share of LA's loaded imports has fallen from 61% in 2020 to 53.4% in 2025 to roughly 40% this year, per port figures, a 21-point slide in six years. Over that same period, Houston posted its best year ever and Savannah its second busiest, evidence the volume is not vanishing so much as relocating.
The opposite bet: Even with the lower forecast, the port is committing $302.2M in capital spending, its highest in more than a decade, plus an RFP for a new 200-acre Pier 500 terminal. “Over the last decade, we’ve built a strong financial foundation that allows us to continue investing in the projects, programs and people that keep cargo moving efficiently,” Executive Director Gene Seroka said.
What to watch: For importers, San Pedro Bay’s status as the default inbound gateway is now an open question, and the port is spending into the doubt rather than away from it.
