The outlook for incoming cargo is projected to continue its downward slide by about 35% through May, Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka told harbor commissioners on Tuesday, May 6.
Imports from China, he said during the LA harbor commission meeting, “have all but stopped” and May imports overall are projected to be down by 35% as previously reported.
It was a similar note being struck by port officials over the past several weeks as news about U.S. tariffs has dampened the outlook for the upcoming cargo trajectory numbers heading into the spring and summer months. It follows months of record-breaking cargo numbers at both the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
Importers, Seroka said, have “hit the pause button” because of tariffs, which has driven prices that are now 2.5 times higher than they were last month. Many importers, he said, simply cannot afford those costs, with smaller companies “caught in the crosshairs” as bickering over tariffs continues to go back and forth between national leaders.
As for U.S. consumers, they’ll start seeing some impacts soon, he added. They could begin seeing “spot shortages” on shelves in about four to six weeks, as well as a reduction in product selection.
If a shopper is looking for a blue shirt, he said, they may not see any blue shirts — but instead “a bunch of purple shirts.” Or, Seroka said, there may not be any blue shirts in their size.
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Both the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach traditionally gear up for what is known as peak season, when shippers begin ordering back-to-school, holiday and other fall goods, through the mid- to later summer months.
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