The Port of Los Angeles processed about 892,000 twenty-foot-equivalent units in June, the highest monthly tally in its 117-year history and 32% more than in May, port data show. Volume was 8% higher than a year earlier, lifting traffic for the first half of 2025 to roughly 5% above the same period in 2024. Executive Director Gene Seroka attributed the jump to importers front-loading cargo to beat forthcoming tariff increases after Washington temporarily rolled back levies on Chinese goods to 45% from the record 145% imposed in April. He described the pattern as a “tariff whipsaw,” noting that shipments slowed sharply in May before rebounding once rates were eased. Businesses are now hurrying to clear West Coast docks ahead of an early-August deadline when President Donald Trump has threatened to reinstate steeper duties on a broad range of trading partners. Port officials and logistics firms warn that the uncertainty is inflating supply-chain costs and could depress container traffic later in the traditional peak season as retailers scale back orders.