Total trade moving through the Port of Long Beach was down 8.2% last month compared to the same time a year ago, according to numbers released Tuesday.
Imports dropped by 13.4%, and exports dropped by 18.6%, with the number of empty containers being shipped increasing by 3.2%, data from the port shows.
The month-over-month decrease was even more pronounced, dropping 26% from April to May.
Port leadership laid the blame for the slump on the tariffs that President Donald Trump implemented last month. The port’s biggest trading partner, China, was hit especially hard, with Chinese imports facing 145% levies, but that was quickly dropped to 30% thanks to a 90-day truce.
That temporary pause “will likely trigger a cargo surge by late June,” the port said Tuesday.
“We remain cautiously optimistic that import cargo will rebound at the end of June and into July just in time for the peak shipping season, when retailers stock the shelves with back-to-school supplies and begin preparations for the winter holidays,” Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero said in a statement.
Cordero said uncertainty is still affecting the business sector.
“We are monitoring the development of the new trade policies and the effects on our dockworkers and others across the supply chain,” Long Beach Harbor Commission President Bonnie Lowenthal said in a statement. “We are staying in close contact with our customers and other port stakeholders as they work to handle the ongoing changes in trade.”